Philo Vance, as you
may remember, took a solitary trip to Egypt immediately after the termination of the Garden murder case.[1] He did not return to New York until the middle of July. He was considerably tanned, and there was a tired look in his wide-set
grey eyes. I suspected, the moment I greeted him on the dock, that during his absence he had thrown himself into Egyptological
research, which was an old passion of his.

“I'm fagged out, Van," he complained good-naturedly, as we settled ourselves in a taxicab and started
uptown to his apartment. "I need a rest. We're not leavin' New York this summer--you won't mind, I hope. I've brought back
a couple of boxes of archæological specimens. See about them tomorrow, will you?--there's a good fellow."

Even his voice sounded
weary. His words carried a curious undertone of distraction; and the idea flashed through my mind that he had not altogether
succeeded in eliminating from his thoughts the romantic memory of a certain young woman he had met during the strange and
fateful occurrences in the penthouse of Professor Ephraim Garden.[2] My surmise must have been correct, for it was that very evening, when he was relaxing in his roof-garden, that Vance remarked
to me, apropos of nothing that had gone before: "A man's affections involve a great responsibility. The things a man wants
most must often be sacrificed because of this exacting responsibility." I felt quite certain then that his sudden and prolonged
trip to Egypt had not been an unqualified success as far as his personal objective was concerned.

For the next few days
Vance busied himself in arranging, classifying and cataloging the rare pieces he had brought back with him. He threw himself
into the work with more than his wonted interest and enthusiasm. His mental and physical condition showed improvement immediately,
and it was but a short time before I recognized the old vital Vance that I had always known, keen for sports, for various
impersonal activities, and for the constant milling of the undercurrents of human psychology.

It was just a week
after his return from Cairo that the famous Kidnap murder case broke. It was an atrocious and clever crime, and more than
the usual publicity was given to it in the newspapers because of the wave of kidnapping cases that had been sweeping over
the country at that time. But this particular crime of which I am writing from my voluminous notes was very different in many
respects from the familiar "snatch"; and it was illumined by many sinister high lights. To be sure, the motive for the crime,
or, I should say, crimes, was the sordid one of monetary gain; and superficially the technique was similar to that of the
numerous cases in the same category. But through Vance's determination and fearlessness, through his keen insight into human
nature, and his amazing flair for the ramifications of human psychology, he was able to penetrate beyond the seemingly conclusive
manifestations of the case.

In the course of this
investigation Vance took no thought of any personal risk. At one time he was in the gravest danger, and it was only through
his boldness, his lack of physical fear, and his deadly aim and quick action when it was a matter of his life or another's--partly
the result, perhaps, of his World-War experience which won him the Croix de Guerre--that he saved the lives of several
innocent persons as well as his own, and eventually put his finger on the criminal in a scene of startling tragedy.

There was a certain
righteous indignation in his attitude during this terrible episode--an attitude quite alien to his customarily aloof and cynical
and purely academic point of view--for the crime itself was one of the type he particularly abhorred.

As I have said, it
was just a week after his return to New York that Vance was unexpectedly, and somewhat against his wishes, drawn into the
investigation. He had resumed his habit of working late at night and rising late; but, to my surprise, when I entered the
library at nine o'clock on that morning of July 20, he was already up and dressed and had just finished the Turkish coffee
and the Régie cigarette that constituted his daily breakfast. He had on his patch-pocket grey tweed suit and a pair
of heavy walking boots, which almost invariably indicated a contemplated trip into the country.

Before I could express
my astonishment (I believe it was the first time in the course of our relationship that he had risen and started the day before
I had) he smilingly explained to me with his antemeridian drawl:

"Don't be shocked
by my burst of energy, Van. It really can't be helped, don't y' know. I'm driving out to Dumont, to the dog show. I've a little
chap entered in the puppy and American-bred classes, and I want to take him into the ring myself. He's a grand little fellow,
and this is his début.[3] I'll return for dinner."

I was rather pleased
at the prospect of being left alone for the day, for there was much work for me to do. I admit that, as Vance's legal advisor,
monetary steward and general overseer of his affairs, I had allowed a great deal of routine work to accumulate during his
absence, and the assurance of an entire day, without any immediate or current chores, was most welcome to me.

As Vance spoke he
rang for Currie, his old English butler and majordomo, and asked for his hat and chamois gloves. Filling his cigarette case,
he waved a friendly good-bye to me and started toward the door. But just before he reached it, the front doorbell sounded,
and a moment later Currie ushered in John F.-X. Markham, District Attorney of New York County.[4]

"Good heavens, Vance!"
exclaimed Markham. "Going out at such an early hour? Or have you just come in?" Despite the jocularity of his words, there
was an unwonted sombreness in his face and a worried look in his eyes, which belied the manner of his greeting.

Vance smiled with
a puzzled frown.

"I don't like the
expression on your Hellenic features this morning, old dear. It bodes ill for one who craves freedom and surcease from earthly
miseries. I was just about to escape by hieing me to a dog show in the country. My little Sandy--"

Vance shrugged his
shoulders with resignation and heaved an exaggerated sigh.

"Markham--my very
dear Markham! How did you time your visit so accurately? Thirty seconds later and I would have been on my way and free from
your clutches." Vance threw his hat and gloves aside. "But since you have captured me so neatly, I suppose I must listen,
although I am sure I shall not like the tidin's. I know I'm going to hate you and wish you had never been born. I can tell
from the doleful look on your face that you're in for something messy and desire spiritual support." He stepped a little to
one side. "Enter, and pour forth your woes."

"I haven't time--"

"Tut, tut." Vance
moved nonchalantly to the centre-table and pointed to a large comfortable upholstered chair. "There's always time. There always
has been time--there always will be time. Represented by n, don't y' know. Quite meaningless--without beginning and
without end, and utterly indivisible. In fact, there's no such thing as time--unless you're dabblin' in the fourth dimension.
. . ."

He walked back to
Markham, took him gently by the arm and, ignoring his protests, led him to the chair by the table.

"Really, y' know,
Markham, you need a cigar and a drink. Let calm be your watchword, my dear fellow,--always calm. Serenity. Consider the ancient
oaks. Or, better yet, the eternal hills--or is it the everlasting hills? It's been so long since I penned poesy. Anyway, Swinburne
did it much better. . . . Eheu, eheu! . . ."

As he babbled along,
with seeming aimlessness, he went to a small side-table and, taking up a crystal decanter, poured some of its contents into
a tulip-shaped glass, and set it down before the District Attorney.

"Try that old Amontillado."
He then moved the humidor forward. "And these panetelas are infinitely better than the cigars you carry around to dole out
to your constituents."

Markham made a restless,
annoyed gesture, lighted one of the cigars, and sipped the old syrupy sherry.

Vance seated himself
in a near-by chair and carefully lighted a Régie.

"Now try me," he said.
"But don't make the tale too sad. My heart is already at the breaking-point."

"What I have to tell
you is damned serious." Markham frowned and looked sharply at Vance. "Do you like kidnappings?"

"Not passionately,"
Vance answered, his face darkening. "Beastly crimes, kidnappings. Worse than poisonings. About as low as a criminal can sink."
His eyebrows went up. "Why?"

"There's been a kidnapping
during the night. I learned about it half an hour ago. I'm on my way--"

"Who and where?" Vance's
face had now become sombre too.

"Kaspar Kenting. Heath
and a couple of his men are at the Kenting house in 86th Street now. They're waiting for me."

"Kaspar Kenting .
. ." Vance repeated the name several times, as if trying to recall some former association with it. "In 86th Street, you say?"

He rose suddenly and
went to the telephone stand in the anteroom where he opened the directory and ran his eye down the page.

"Is it number 86 West
86th Street, perhaps?"

Markham nodded. "That's
right. Easy to remember."

"Yes--quite." Vance
came strolling back into the library, but instead of resuming his chair he stood leaning against the end of the table. "Quite,"
he repeated. "I seemed to remember it when you mentioned Kenting's name. . . . The domicile's an interestin' old landmark.
I've never seen it, however. Had a fascinatin' reputation once. Still called the Purple House."

"Purple house?" Markham
looked up. "What do you mean?"

"My dear fellow! Are
you entirely ignorant of the history of the city which you adorn as District Attorney? The Purple House was built by Karl
K. Kenting back in 1880, and he had the bricks and slabs of stone painted purple, in order to distinguish his abode from all
others in the neighborhood, and to flaunt it as a challenge to his numerous enemies. 'With a house that color,' he used to
say, 'they won't have any trouble finding me, if they want me.' The place became known as the Purple House. And every time
the house was repainted, the original color was retained. Sort of family tradition, don't y' know. . . . But what about your
Kaspar Kenting?"

"He disappeared some
time last night," Markham explained impatiently. "From his bedroom. Open window, ladder, ransom note thumbtacked to the window-sill.
No doubt about it."

"Details familiar--eh,
what?" mused Vance. "And I presume the ransom note was concocted with words cut from a newspaper and pasted on a sheet of
paper?"

Markham looked astonished.

"Exactly! How did
you guess it?"

"Nothing new or original
about it--what? Highly conventional. Bookish, in fact. But not being done this season in the best kidnapping circles. . .
. Curious case. . . . How did you learn about it?"

"Eldridge Fleel was
waiting at my office when I arrived this morning. He's the lawyer for the Kenting family. One of the executors for the old
man's estate. Kaspar Kenting's wife naturally notified him at once at his home--called him before he was up. He went to the
house, looked over the situation, and then came directly to me."

"Level-headed chap,
this Fleel?"

"Oh, yes. I've known
the man for years. Good lawyer. He was wealthy and influential once, but was badly hit by the depression. We were both members
of the Lawyers' Club, and we had offices in the same building on lower Broadway before I was cursed with the District Attorneyship.
. . . I got in touch with Sergeant Heath immediately, and he went up to the house with Fleel. I told them I'd be there as
soon as I could. I dropped off here, thinking--"

"Sad . . . very sad,"
interrupted Vance with a sigh, drawing deeply on his cigarette. "I still wish you had made it a few minutes later. I'd have
been safely away. You're positively ineluctable."

"Come, come, Vance.
You know damned well I may need your help." Markham sat up with a show of anger. "A kidnapping isn't a pleasant thing, and
the city's not going to like it. I'm having enough trouble as it is.[5] I can't very well pass the buck to the federal boys. I'd rather clean up the mess from local headquarters. . . . By the way,
do you know this young Kaspar Kenting?"

"Slightly," Vance
answered abstractedly. "I've run into the johnnie here and there, especially at old Kinkaid's Casino[6] and at the race-tracks. Kaspar's a gambler and pretty much a ne'er-do-well. Full of the spirit of frivolity and not much
else. Ardent play-boy, as it were. Always hard up. And trusted by no one. Can't imagine why any one would want to pay a ransom
for him."

Vance slowly exhaled
his cigarette smoke, watching the long blue ribbons rise and disperse against the ceiling.

"Queer background,"
he murmured, almost as if to himself. "Can't really blame the chappie for being such a blighter. Old Karl K., the author of
his being, was a bit queer himself. Had more than enough money, and left it all to the older son, Kenyon K., to dole out to
Kaspar as he saw fit. I imagine he hasn't seen fit very often or very much. Kenyon is the solid-citizen type, in the worst
possible meaning of the phrase. Came to the Belmont track in the highest of dudgeons one afternoon and led Kaspar righteously
home. Probably goes to church regularly. Marches in parades. Applauds the high notes of sopranos. Feels positively nude without
a badge of some kind. That sort of johnnie. Enough to drive any younger brother to hell. . . . The old man, as you must know,
wasn't a block from which you could expect anything in the way of fancy chips. A rabid and fanatical Ku-Klux-Klanner. . .
."

"Old K. K. Kenting
originally came from Virginia and was a King Kleagle in that sheeted Order.[7] So rabid was he that he changed the C in his name, Carl, to a K, and gave himself a middle initial, another
K, so that his monogram would be the symbol of his fanatical passion. And he went even further. He had two sons and
a daughter, and he gave them all names beginning with K, and added for each one a middle initial K--Kenyon K.
Kenting, Kaspar K. Kenting, and Karen K. Kenting. The girl died shortly after Karl himself was gathered to Abraham's bosom.
The two sons remaining, being of a new generation and less violent, dropped the middle K--which never stood for anything,
by the by."

"But why a purple
house?"

"No symbolism there,"
returned Vance. "When Karl Kenting came to New York and went into politics he became boss of his district. And he had an idea
his sub-Potomac enemies were going to persecute him; so, as I say, he wanted to make it easy for 'em to find him. He was an
aggressive and fearless old codger."

"I seem to remember
they eventually found him, and with a vengeance," Markham mumbled impatiently.

"Quite." Vance nodded
indifferently. "But it took two machine-guns to translate him to the Elysian Fields. Quite a scandal at the time. Anyway,
the two sons, while wholly different from each other, are both unlike their father."

Markham stood up with
deliberation.

"That may all be very
interesting," he grumbled; "but I've got to get to 86th Street. This may prove a crucial case, and I can't afford to ignore
it." He looked somewhat appealingly at Vance.

Vance rose likewise
and crushed out his cigarette.

"Oh, by all means,"
he drawled. "I'll be delighted to toddle along. Though I can't even vaguely imagine why kidnappers should select Kaspar Kenting.
The Kentings are no longer a reputedly wealthy family. True, they might be able to produce a fairly substantial sum on short
notice, but they're not, d' ye see, in the class which professional kidnappers enter up on their list of possible victims.
. . . By the by, do you know how much ransom was demanded?"

"Fifty thousand. But
you'll see the note when we get there. Nothing's been touched. Heath knows I'm coming."

"Fifty thousand .
. ." Vance poured himself a pony of his Napoléon cognac. "That's most interestin'. Not an untidy sum--eh, what?"

When he had finished
his brandy he rang again for Currie.

"Really, y' know,"
he said to Markham--his tone had suddenly changed to one of levity--, "I can't wear chamois gloves in a purple house. Most
inappropriate."

He asked Currie for
a pair of doeskin gloves, his wanghee cane, and a town hat. When they were brought in he turned to me.

"Do you mind calling
MacDermott[8] and explainin'?" he asked. "The old boy himself will have to show Sandy. . . . And do you care to come along, Van? It may
prove more fascinatin' than it sounds."

Despite my accumulated
work, I was glad of the invitation. I caught MacDermott on the telephone just as he was packing his crated entries into the
station-wagon. I wasted few words on him, in true Scotch fashion, and immediately joined Vance and Markham in the lower hallway
where they were waiting for me.

We entered the District
Attorney's car, and in fifteen minutes we were at the scene of what proved to be one of the most unusual criminal cases in
Vance's career.

[3]As I learned later, he was
referring to his Scottish terrier, Pibroch Sandyman. Incidentally, this dog won the puppy class that day and received Reserve
Winners as well. Later he became a Champion.

[4]Markham and Vance had been
close friends for over fifteen years, and, although Vance's unofficial connection with the District Attorney's office had
begun somewhat in the spirit of an experimental adventure, Markham had now come to depend implicitly upon his friend as a
vital associate in his criminal investigations.

[5]There had been several recent
kidnappings at this time, two of a particularly atrocious nature, and the District Attorney's office and the Commissioner
of Police were being constantly and severely criticized by the press for their apparent helplessness in the situation.

[6]Vance was referring to the
gambling establishment which figured so prominently in the Casino murder case.

[7]Vance was mistaken
about this, as Kenting belonged to the old, or original, Klan, in which there was no such title as King Keagle. This title
did not come into existence until 1915, with the modern Klan. Kenting probably had been

The Kenting residence in 86th Street was not as bizarre a place as I had expected to see
after Vance's description of it. In fact, it differed very little from the other old brownstone residences in the street,
except that it was somewhat larger. I might even have passed it or driven by it any number of times without noticing it at
all. This fact was, no doubt, owing to the dullness of its faded color, since the house had apparently not been repainted
for several years, and sun and rain had not spared it. Its tone was so dingy and superficially nondescript that it blended
unobtrusively with the other houses of the neighborhood. As we approached it that fateful morning it appeared almost a neutral
grey in the brilliant summer sunshine.

On closer inspection I could see that the house had been built of bricks put together in
English cross bond with weathered mortar joints, trimmed at the cornices, about the windows and door, and below the eaves,
with great rectangular slabs of brownstone. Only in the shadow along the eaves and beneath the projections of the sills was
there any distinguishable tint of purple remaining. The architecture of the house was conventional enough--a somewhat free
adaptation of combined Georgian and Colonial, such as was popular during the middle of the last century.

The entrance, which was several feet above the street level and reached by five or six
broad sandstone steps, was a spacious one; and there was the customary glass-enclosed vestibule. The windows were high, and
old-fashioned shutters folded back against the walls of the house. Instead of the regulation four stories, the house consisted
of only three stories, not counting the sunken basement; and I was somewhat astonished at this fact when it came to my attention,
for the structure was even higher than its neighbors. The windows, however, were not on a line with those in the other houses,
and I realized that the ceilings of the "Purple House" must be unusually high.

Another thing which distinguished the Kenting residence from the neighboring buildings
was the existence of a fifty-foot court to the east. This court was covered with a neatly kept lawn, with hedges on all four
sides. There were two flower-beds--one star-shaped and the other in the form of a crescent; and an old gnarled maple tree
stood at the rear, with its branches extending almost the entire width of the yard. Only a low iron picket fence, with a swinging
gate, divided the yard from the street.

This refreshing quadrangle was bathed with sunshine, and it seemed a very pleasant spot,
with its blooming hedges and its scattered painted metal chairs. But there was one sinister note--one item which in itself
was not sinister at all, but which had acquired a malevolent aspect from the facts Markham had related to us in Vance's apartment
that morning. It was a long, heavy ladder, such as outdoor painters use, leaning against the house, with its upper end just
below a second-story window--the window nearest the street.

The "Purple House" itself was set about ten feet in from the sidewalk, and we immediately
crossed the irregular flagstones and proceeded up the steps to the front door. But there was no need to ring the bell. Sergeant
Ernest Heath, of the Homicide Bureau, greeted us in the vestibule. After saluting Markham, whom he addressed as Chief, he
turned to Vance with a grin and shook his head ponderously.

"I didn't think you'd be here, Mr. Vance," he said good-naturedly. "Ain't this a little
out of your line? But howdy, anyway." And he held out his hand.

"I myself didn't think I'd be here, Sergeant. And everything is out of my line today except
dog shows. Fact is, I almost missed the present pleasure of seeing you." Vance shook hands with him cordially, and cocked
one eye inquiringly. "What's the exhibit I'm supposed to view?"

"You might as well have stayed home, Mr. Vance," Heath told him. "Hell, there's nothing
to this case. It ain't even a fancy one. A little routine police work is all that's needed to clear it up. There ain't a chance
for what you call psychological deduction."

"My word!" sighed Vance. "Most encouragin', Sergeant. I hope you're right. Still, since
I'm here, don't y' know, I might as well look around in my amateurish way and try to learn what it's all about. I promise
not to complicate matters for you."

"That's a little more than O.-K. with me, Mr. Vance," the Sergeant grinned. And, opening
the heavy glass-paneled oak door, he led us into the dingy but spacious hallway, and then through partly-opened sliding doors
at the right, into a stuffy drawing-room.

"Cap Dubois and Bellamy[1] are upstairs, getting the finger-prints; and Quackenbush [2] took a few shots and went away." Heath seated himself at a small Jacobean
desk and drew out his little black leather-bound note-book. "Chief," he said to Markham, "I think maybe you'd better get the
whole story direct from Mrs. Kenting, the wife of the gentleman who was kidnapped."

I now noticed three other persons in the room. At the front window stood a solid, slightly
corpulent man of successful, professional mien. He turned and came forward as we entered, and Markham bowed to him cordially
and greeted him by the name Fleel. He was the lawyer of the Kenting family.

At his side was a somewhat aggressive middle-aged man, rather thin, with a serious and
pinched expression. Fleel introduced him to us cursorily, with a careless wave of the hand, as Kenyon Kenting, the brother
of the missing man. Then the lawyer turned stiffly to the other side of the room, and said in a suave, businesslike voice:

"But I particularly wish to present you gentlemen to Mrs. Kaspar Kenting."

We all turned to the pale, terrified woman seated at one end of a small davenport, in the
shadows of the west wall. She appeared at first glance to be in her early thirties; but I soon realized that my guess might
be ten years out, one way or the other. She seemed exceedingly thin, even beneath the full folds of the satin dressing-gown
she wore; and although her eyes were large and frankly appealing, there was in her features evidence of a shrewd competency
amounting almost to hardness. It struck me that a painter could have used her for the perfect model of the clinging, nervous,
whiny woman. But, on the other hand, she impressed me as being capable of assuming the role of a strong-minded and efficient
person when the occasion demanded. Her hair was thin and stringy and of the lustreless ashen-blond variety; and her eyelashes
and eyebrows were so sparse and pale, that she gave the impression, sitting there in the dim light, of having none at all.

When Fleel presented us to her she nodded curtly with a frightened air, and kept her eyes
focused sharply on Markham. Kenyon Kenting went directly to her and, sitting down on the edge of the sofa, put his arm half
around her and patted her gently on the back.

"You must be brave, my dear," he said in a tone that was almost endearing. "These gentlemen
have come to help us, and I'm sure they'll be wanting to know all you can tell them about the events of last night."

The woman drew her eyes slowly away from Markham and looked up wistfully and trustingly
at her brother-in-law. Then she nodded her head slowly, in complete and confiding acquiescence and again turned her eyes to
Markham.

Sergeant Heath broke gruffly into the scene.

"Don't you want to go upstairs, Chief, and see the room from where the snatch was made?
Snitkin's on duty up there, to see that nothing is moved around or changed."

"I say, just a moment, Sergeant." Vance sat down on the sofa beside Mrs. Kenting. "I'd
like to ask Mrs. Kenting a few questions first." He turned to the woman. "Do you mind?" he asked in a mild, almost deferential
tone. As she silently shook her head in reply he continued: "Tell me, when did you first learn of your husband's absence?"

The woman took a deep breath, and after a barely perceptible hesitation answered in a slightly
rasping, low-pitched voice which contrasted strangely with her colorless, semi-anæmic appearance.

"Early this morning--about six o'clock, I should say. The sun had just risen."[3]

"And how did you happen to become aware of his absence?"

"I wasn't sleeping well last night," the woman responded. "I was restless for some unknown
reason, and the early morning sun coming through the shutters into my room not only awakened me, but prevented me from going
back to sleep. Then I thought I heard a faint unfamiliar sound in my husband's room--you see, we occupy adjoining rooms on
the next floor--and it seemed to me I heard some one moving stealthily about. There was the unmistakable sound of footsteps
across the floor--that is, like some one walking around in soft slippers."

She took another deep breath, and shuddered slightly.

"I was already terribly nervous, anyway, and these strange noises frightened me, for Kaspar--Mr.
Kenting--is usually sound asleep at that hour of the morning. I got up, put on my slippers, threw a dressing-gown around me,
and went to the door which connects our two rooms. I called to my husband, but got no answer. Then I called again, and still
again, in louder tones, at the same time knocking at the door. But there was no response of any kind--and I realized that
everything had suddenly become quiet in the room. By this time I was panicky; so I pulled open the door quickly and entered
the room. . . ."

"Just a moment, Mrs. Kenting," Vance interrupted. "You speak of having been startled by
an unfamiliar sound in your husband's room this morning, and you say you heard some one walking about in the room. Just what
kind of sound was it that first caught your attention?"

"I don't know exactly. It might have been some one moving a chair, or dropping something,
or maybe it was just a door surreptitiously opened and shut. I can't describe it any better than that."

"Could it have been a scuffle of some kind--I mean, did it sound as if more than one person
might have been making the noise?"

The woman shook her head vaguely.

"I don't think so. It was over too quickly for that. I should say it was a sound that was
not intended--something accidental--do you see what I mean? I can't imagine what it could have been--so many things might
have happened. . . ."

"When you entered the room, were the lights on?" Vance asked, with what appeared to be
almost utter indifference.

"Yes," the woman hastened to answer animatedly. "That was the curious thing about it. Not
only was the chandelier burning brightly, but the light beside the bed also. They were a ghastly yellow in the day-light."

"Are the two fixtures controlled with the same switch?" Vance asked, frowning down at his
unlighted Régie.

"No," the woman told him. "The switch for the chandelier is near the hall door, while the
night-lamp is connected to an outlet in the baseboard and is worked by a switch on the lamp itself. And another strange thing
was that the bed had not been slept in."

Vance's eyebrows rose slightly, but he did not look up from his fixed contemplation of
the cigarette between his fingers.

"Do you know what time Mr. Kenting came to his bedroom last night?"

The woman hesitated a moment and flashed a glance at Kenyon Kenting.

"Oh, yes," she said hurriedly. "I heard him come in. It must have been soon after three
this morning. He had been out for the evening, and I happened to be awake when he got back--or else the unlocking and closing
of the front door awakened me--I really don't know. I heard him enter his bedroom and turn on the lights. Then I heard him
telephoning to some one in an angry voice. Right after that I fell asleep again."

"You say he was out last night. Do you know where or with whom?"

Mrs. Kenting nodded, but again she hesitated. Finally she answered in the same brittle,
rasping voice:

"A new gambling casino was opened in Jersey yesterday, and my husband was invited to be
a guest at the opening ceremonies. His friend Mr. Quaggy called for him about nine o'clock--"

"Please repeat the name of your husband's friend."

"Quaggy--Porter Quaggy. He's a very trustworthy and loyal man, and I've never objected
to my husband's going out with him. He has been more or less a friend of the family for several years, and he always seems
to know just how to handle my husband when he shows an inclination to go a little too far in his--his, well, his drinking.
Mr. Quaggy was here at the house yesterday afternoon, and it was then that he and Kaspar made arrangements to go together
to the new casino."

Vance nodded slightly, and directed his gaze to the floor as if trying to connect something
the woman had told him with something already in his mind.

"Where does Mr. Quaggy live?" he asked.

"Just up the street, near Central Park West, at the Nottingham. . . ." She paused, and
drew a deep breath. "Mr. Quaggy's a frequent and welcome visitor here."

Vance threw Heath a significant coup d'œil, and the Sergeant made a note in
the small leather-bound black book which lay before him on the desk.

"Do you happen to know," Vance continued, still addressing the woman, "whether Mr. Quaggy
returned to the house last night with Mr. Kenting?"

"Oh, no; I'm quite sure he did not," was the prompt reply. "I heard my husband come in
alone and mount the stairs; and I heard him alone in his bedroom. As I said, I dozed off shortly afterwards, and didn't wake
up again until after the sun rose."

"May I offer you a cigarette?" said Vance, holding out his case.

The woman shook her head slightly and glanced questioningly at Kenyon Kenting.

"No, thank you," she returned. "I rarely smoke. But I don't in the least mind others smoking,
so please light your own cigarette."

With a courteous bow in acknowledgment, Vance proceeded to do so, and then asked:

"When you found that your husband was not in his room at six this morning, and that the
lights were on and the bed had not been slept in, what did you think?--and what did you do?"

"I was naturally upset and troubled and very much puzzled," Mrs. Kenting explained; "and
just then I noticed that the big side window overlooking the lawn was open and that the Venetian blind had not been lowered.
This was queer, because Kaspar was always fussy about this particular blind in the summer-time because of the early morning
sun. I immediately ran to the window and looked down into the yard, for a sudden fear had flashed through my mind that perhaps
Kaspar had fallen out. . . . You see," she added reluctantly, "my husband often has had too much to drink when he comes home
late at night. . . . It was then I saw the ladder against the house; and I was wondering about that vaguely, when suddenly
I noticed that horrible slip of paper pinned to the window-sill. Immediately I realized what had happened, and why I had heard
those peculiar noises in his room. The realization made me feel faint."

She paused and dabbed gently at her eyes with a lace-trimmed handkerchief.

"When I recovered a little from the shock of this frightful thing," she continued, "I went
to the telephone and called up Mr. Fleel. I also called Mr. Kenyon Kenting here--he lives on Fifth Avenue, just across the
park. After that I simply ordered some black coffee, and waited, frantic, until their arrival. I said nothing about the matter
to the servants, and I didn't dare inform the police until I had consulted with my brother-in-law and especially with Mr.
Fleel, who is not only the family's legal advisor, but also a very close friend. I felt that he would know the wisest course
to follow."

"How many servants are there here?" Vance asked.

"Only two--Weem, our butler and houseman, and his wife, Gertrude, who cooks and does maid
service."

"They sleep where?"

"On the third floor, at the rear."

Vance had listened to the woman's account of the tragic episode with unusual attentiveness,
and while to the others he must have seemed casual and indifferent, I had noticed that he shot the narrator several appraising
glances from under his lazily drooping eyelids.

At last he rose and, walking to the desk, placed his half-burnt cigarette in a large onyx
ash receiver. Turning to Mrs. Kenting again, he asked quietly:

"Had you, or your husband, any previous warning of this event?"

Before answering, the woman looked with troubled concern at Kenyon Kenting.

"I think, my dear," he encouraged her, in a ponderous, declamatory tone, "that you should
be perfectly frank with these gentlemen."

The woman shifted her eyes back to Vance slowly, and after a moment of indecision said:

"Only this: several nights, recently, after I had retired, I have heard Kaspar dialing
a number and talking angrily to some one over the telephone. I could never distinguish any of the conversation--it was simply
a sort of muffled muttering. And I always noticed that the next day Kaspar was in a terrible humor and seemed worried and
agitated about something. Twice I tried to find out what the trouble was, and asked him to explain the phone calls; but each
time he assured me nothing whatever was wrong, and refused to tell me anything except that he had been speaking to his brother
regarding business affairs. . . ."

"That was wholly a misleading statement on Kaspar's part," put in Kenyon Kenting with matter-of-fact
suavity. "As I've already said to Mrs. Kenting, I can't remember ever having had any telephone conversation with Kaspar at
night. Whenever we had business matters to discuss he either came to my office, or we talked them over here at the house.
. . . I can't understand these phone conversations--but, of course, they may have no relation whatsoever to this present enigma."

"As you say, sir." Vance nodded. "No plausible connection with this crime apparent. But
one never knows, does one? . . ." His eyes moved slowly back to Mrs. Kenting. "Was there nothing else recently which you can
recall, and which might be helpful now?"

"Yes, there was." The woman nodded with a show of vigor. "About a week ago a strange, rough-looking
man came here to see Kaspar--he looked to me like an underworld character. Kaspar took him immediately into the drawing-room
here and closed the doors. They remained in the room a long time. I had gone up to my boudoir, but when the man left the house
I heard him say to Kaspar in a loud tone, 'There are ways of getting things.' It wasn't just a statement--the words sounded
terribly unfriendly. Almost like a threat."

"Has there been anything further?" Vance asked.

"Yes. Several days later, the same man came again, and an even more sinister-looking individual
was with him. I got only the merest glimpse of them as Kaspar led them into this room and closed the doors. I can't even remember
what either of them looked like--except that I'm sure they were dangerous men and I know they frightened me. I asked Kaspar
about them the next morning, but he evaded the question and said merely that it was a matter of business and I wouldn't understand.
That was all I could get out of him."

Kenyon Kenting had turned his back to the room and was looking out of the window, his hands
clasped behind him.

"I hardly think these two mysterious callers," he commented with pompous finality, without
turning, "have any connection with Kaspar's kidnapping."

Vance frowned slightly and cast an inquisitive glance at the man's back.

"Can you be sure of that, Mr. Kenting?" he asked coldly.

"Oh, no--oh, no," the other replied apologetically, swinging about suddenly and extending
one hand in an oratorical gesture. "I can't be sure. I merely meant it isn't logical to suppose that two men would expose
themselves so openly if they contemplated a step attended by such serious consequences as a proven kidnapping. Besides, Kaspar
had many strange acquaintances, and these men were probably in no way connected with the present situation."

Vance kept his eyes fixed on the man, and his expression did not change.

"It might be, of course, as you say," he remarked lightly. "Also it might not be--what?
Interestin' speculation. But quite futile. I wonder. . . ." He drew himself up and, meditatively taking out his cigarette
case, lighted another Régie. "And now I think we might go above, to Mr. Kaspar Kenting's bedroom."

We all rose and went toward the sliding doors.

As we came out into the main hall, the door to a small room just opposite was standing
ajar, and through it I saw what appeared to be a miniature museum of some kind. There were the slanting cases set against
the walls, and a double row of larger cases down the centre of the room. It looked like a private exhibition, arranged on
the lines of the more extensive ones seen in any public museum.

"Ah! a collection of semiprecious stones," commented Vance. "Do you mind if I take a brief look?" he
asked, addressing Mrs. Kenting. "Tremendously interested in the subject, don't y' know."[4]

The woman looked a little astonished, but answered at once.

"By all means. Go right in."

"Your own collection?" Vance inquired casually.

"Oh, no," the woman told him--somewhat bitterly, it seemed to me. "It belonged to Mr. Kenting
senior. It was here in the house when I first came, long after his death. It was part of the estate he left--residuary property,
I believe they call it."

Fleel nodded, as if he considered Mrs. Kenting's explanation correct and adequate.

Much to Markham's impatience and annoyance, Vance immediately entered the small room and
moved slowly along the cases. He beckoned to me to join him.

Neatly arranged in the cases were specimens, in various shapes and sizes, of aquamarine,
topaz, spinel, tourmaline, and zircon; rubelite, amethyst, alexandrite, peridot, hessonite, pyrope, demantoid, almandine,
kinzite, andalusite, turquoise, and jadeite. Many of these gem-stones were beautifully cut and lavishly faceted, and I was
admiring their lustrous beauty, impressed by what I assumed to be their great value, when Vance murmured softly:

"A most amazin' and disquietin' collection. Only one gem of real value here, and not a
rare specimen among the rest. A schoolgirl's assortment, really. Very queer. And there seem to be many blank spaces. Judgin'
by the vacancies and general distribution, old Kenting must have been a mere amateur. . . ."

I looked at him in amazement. Then his voice trailed off, and he suddenly wheeled about
and returned to the hall.

"A most curious collection," he murmured again.

"Semiprecious stones were one of my father's hobbies," Kenting returned.

[3]The official time of sunrise on that day was 4:45, local mean time, or 4:41, Eastern standard time; but
daylight saving time was then in effect, and Mrs. Kenting's reference to sunrise in New York at approximately six o'clock
was correct.

[4]Although Vance never collected semiprecious
stones himself, he had become deeply interested in the subject as early as his college days.

As we entered Kaspar
Kenting's bedroom, Captain Dubois and Detective Bellamy were just preparing to leave it.

"I don't think there's
anything for you, Sergeant," Dubois reported to Heath after his respectful greetings to Markham. "Just the usual kind of marks
and smudges you'd find in any bedroom--and they all check up with the finger-prints on the silver toilet set and the glass
in the bathroom. Can't be any one else's finger-prints except the guy what lives here. Nothing new anywhere."

"And the window-sill?"
asked Heath with desperate hopefulness.

"Not a thing, Sarge,--absolutely
not a thing," Dubois replied. "And I sure went over it carefully. If any one went out that window during the night, they certainly
wiped it clean, or else wore gloves and was mighty careful. And there's just the kind of finish on that window-sill--that
old polished ivory finish--that'll take finger-prints like smoke-paper. . . . Anyhow, I may have picked up a stray print here
and there that'll check with something we've got in the files. I'll let you know more about it, of course, when we've developed
and enlarged what we got."

The Sergeant seemed
greatly disappointed.

"I'll be wanting you
later for the ladder," he told Dubois, shifting the long black cigar from one corner of his mouth to the other. "I'll get
in touch with you when we're ready."

"All right, Sergeant."
Dubois picked up his small black case. "That'll be a tough job though. Don't make it too late in the afternoon--I'll want
all the light I can get." And he waved a friendly farewell to Heath and departed, followed by Bellamy.

Kaspar Kenting's bedroom
was distinctly old-fashioned, and conventional in the extreme. The furniture was shabby and worn. A wide Colonial bed of mahogany
stood against the south wall, and there was a mahogany chest of drawers, with a hanging mirror over it, near the entrance
to the room. Several easy chairs stood here and there about the room, and a faded flower-patterned carpet covered the floor.
In one corner at the front of the room was a small writing-table on which stood a French telephone.

There were two windows
in the room, one at the front of the house, overlooking the street; the other was in the east wall, and I recognized it at
once as the window to which Mrs. Kenting said she had run in her fright. It was thrown wide open, with the Venetian blind
drawn up to the top, and the outside shutters were invisible from where we stood; whereas the front window was half closed,
with its blind drawn half-way down. At the rear of the room, to the right of the bed, was a door, now wide open. Beyond it
another bedroom, similar to the one in which we stood, was identifiable: it was obviously Mrs. Kenting's boudoir. Between
Kaspar Kenting's bed and the east wall two narrower doors led into the bathroom and a closet respectively.

The electric lights
were still burning with a sickly illumination in the old-fashioned crystal chandelier hanging from the centre of the ceiling,
and in the standard modern fixture near the head of the bed.

Vance looked about
him with seeming indifference; but I knew that not a single detail of the setting escaped him. His first words were directed
to the missing man's wife.

"When you came in
here this morning, Mrs. Kenting, was this hall door locked or bolted?"

The woman looked uncertain
and faltered in her answer.

"I--I--really, I can't
remember. It must have been unlocked, or else I would probably have noticed it. I went out through the door when the coffee
was ready, and I don't recall unlocking it."

Vance nodded understandingly.

"Yes, yes; of course,"
he murmured. "A deliberate act like unlocking a door would have made a definite mental impression on you. Simple psychology.
. . ."

"But I really don't
know, Mr. Vance. . . . You see," she added hurriedly, "I was so upset. . . . I wanted to get out of this room."

"Oh, quite. Wholly
natural. But it really doesn't matter." Vance dismissed the subject. Then he went to the open window and looked down at the
ladder.

As he did so Heath
took from his pocket a knife such as boy scouts use, and pried loose the thumbtack which held a soiled and wrinkled sheet
of paper to the broad window-sill. He picked up the paper gingerly and handed it to Markham. The District Attorney took it
and looked at it, his face grim and troubled. I glanced over his shoulder as he read it. The paper was of the ordinary typewriter
quality and had been trimmed irregularly at the edges to disguise its original size. On it were pasted words and separate
characters in different sizes and styles of type, apparently cut from a newspaper. The uneven lines, crudely put together,
read:

If you want him back safe
price will be 50 thousands $[1] otherwise killed will let you no ware & when to leave money later.

This ominous communication
was signed with a cabalistic signature consisting of two interlocking uneven squares which were outlined with black ink. (I
am herewith including a copy of the ransom note which was found that morning at the Kenting home.)

Vance had turned back
to the room, and Markham handed him the note. Vance glanced at it, as if it were of little interest to him, and read it through
quickly, with the faint suggestion of a cynical smile.

"Really, y' know,
Markham old dear, it isn't what you could possibly term original. It's been done so many times before."

He was about to return
the paper to Markham when he suddenly drew his hand back and made a new examination of the note. His eyes grew serious and
clouded, and the smile faded from his lips.

"Interestin' signature,"
he murmured. He took out his monocle and, carefully adjusting it, scrutinized the paper closely. "Made with a Chinese pencil,"
he announced, "--a Chinese brush--held vertically--and with China ink. . . . And those small squares . . ." His voice trailed
off.

"Sure!" Sergeant Heath
slapped his thigh and puffed vigorously at his cigar. "Same as the holes like I've seen in Chinese money."

"Quite so, Sergeant."
Vance was still studying the cryptic signature. "Not illuminatin', however. But worth remembering." He returned his monocle
to his waistcoat pocket and gave the paper back to Markham. "Not an upliftin' case, old dear. . . . Let's stagger about a
bit. . . ."

He moved to the chest
of drawers and adjusted his cravat before the mirror: then he smoothed back his hair and flicked an imaginary speck of dust
from the left lapel of his coat. Markham glowered, and Heath made an expressive grimace of disgust.

"Queer--very queer,"
murmured Vance. "All the necess'ry toilet articles are in place on the top of this low-boy except a comb."

"I--don't understand,"
the woman returned in amazement. She moved swiftly across the room and stood beside Vance. "Why, the comb is gone!"
she exclaimed in a tone of bewilderment. "Kaspar always kept it right here." And she pointed to a vacant place on the faded
silk covering of what had obviously served Kaspar Kenting as a dresser.

"Most extr'ordin'ry.
Let's see whether your husband's toothbrush is also missing. Do you know where he kept it?"

"In the bathroom,
of course,"--Mrs. Kenting seemed frightened and breathless--"in a little rack beside the medicine cabinet. I'll see." As she
spoke she turned and went quickly toward the door nearest the east wall. She pushed it open and stepped into the bathroom.
After a moment she rejoined us.

"It's not there,"
she remarked dejectedly. "It isn't where it should be--and I've looked in the cabinet for it too."

"That's quite all
right," Vance returned. "Do you remember what clothes your husband was wearing last night when he went to the opening of the
casino in New Jersey with Mr. Quaggy?"

"Why, he wore evening
dress, of course," the woman answered without hesitation. "I mean, he wore a tuxedo."

Vance walked quickly
across the room and, opening the door beside the bathroom, looked into the narrow clothes closet. After a brief inspection
of its contents he turned and again addressed Mrs. Kenting who now stood near the open east window, her hands clasped on her
breast, and her eyes wide with apprehension.

"But his dinner jacket
is hanging here in the closet, Mrs. Kenting. Has he more than one? . . ."

The woman shook her
head vaguely.

"And I say, I suppose
that Mr. Kenting wore the appropriate evening oxfords with his dinner coat."

"Naturally," the woman
said.

"Amazin'," murmured
Vance. "There are a pair of evening oxfords standin' neatly on the floor of the closet, and the soles are dampish--it was
rather wet out last night, don't y' know, after the rain."

Mrs. Kenting moved
slowly across the room to where Kenyon Kenting was standing and put her arm through his, seeming to lean against him. Then
she said in a low voice, "I really don't understand, Mr. Vance."

Vance gave the woman
and her brother-in-law a thoughtful glance and stepped inside the closet. But he turned back to the room in a moment and once
more addressed Mrs. Kenting.

"Are you familiar
with your husband's wardrobe?" he asked.

"Of course, I am,"
she returned with an undertone of resentment. "I help him select the materials for all his clothes."

"In that case," Vance
said politely, "you can be of great assistance to me if you will glance through this closet and tell me whether anything is
missing."

Mrs. Kenting withdrew
her arm from that of her brother-in-law and, with a dazed and slightly startled expression, joined Vance at the clothes closet.
As he took a step to one side, she turned her back to him and gave her attention to the row of hangers. Then she faced him
with a puzzled frown.

"His Glen Urquhart
suit is missing," she said. "It's the one he generally wears when he goes away for a week-end or a short trip."

"Very interestin',"
Vance murmured. "And is it possible for you to tell me what shoes he may have substituted for his evening oxfords?"

The woman's eyes narrowed,
and she looked at Vance with dawning comprehension.

"Yes!" she said, and
immediately swung about to inspect the shoe rack in the closet. After a moment she again turned to Vance with a look of bewilderment
in her eyes. "One pair of his heavy tan bluchers are not here," she announced in a hollow, monotonous tone. "That's what Kaspar
generally wears with his Glen Urquhart."

Vance bowed graciously
and muttered a conventional "thank-you," as Mrs. Kenting returned slowly to Kenyon Kenting and stood rigid and wide-eyed beside
him.

Vance turned back
into the closet and it was but a minute before he came out and walked to the window. Between his thumb and forefinger he held
a small cut gem--a ruby, I thought--which he examined against the light.

"Not a genuine ruby,"
he murmured. "Merely a balas-ruby--the two are often confused. A necess'ry item, to be sure, for a representative collection
of gem-stones, but of little worth in itself. . . . By the by, Mrs. Kenting, I found this in the outer side-pocket of your
husband's dinner jacket. I took the liberty of ascertaining whether he had transferred the contents of his pockets when he
changed his clothes after returning home last night. This bit of balas-ruby was all I found. . . ."

He looked at the stone
again and placed it carefully in his waistcoat pocket. Then he took out another cigarette and lighted it slowly and thoughtfully.

"Shantung silk," Mrs.
Kenting asserted, stepping suddenly forward. "I just gave him a new supply on his birthday." She was looking directly at Vance,
but now her eyes shifted quickly to the bed.

"There's a pair on--"
She left the sentence unfinished, and her pale eyes opened still wider. "They're not there!" she exclaimed excitedly.

"No. As you say. Bed
neatly turned down. Slippers in place. Glass of orange juice on the night-stand. But no pajamas laid out. I did notice the
omission. A bit curious. But it may have been an oversight . . ."

"No," the woman interrupted
emphatically. "It was not an oversight. I placed his pajamas at the foot of the bed myself, as I always do."

Markham had been standing
in silence near the door, watching Vance with grim curiosity. Now he spoke.

"I see what you're
getting at, Vance," he said. "The situation is damnably peculiar. I don't know just how to take it. But, at any rate, if the
indications are correct, I think we can safely assume that we are not dealing with inhuman criminals. When they came here
and took Mr. Kenting to be held for ransom, they at least permitted him to get dressed, and to take with him two or three
of the things a man misses most when he's away from home."

"Well, anyway," put
in Sergeant Heath, "I don't see that there's any reason to worry about any harm coming to the fella. It looks to me like the
guys who did the job were only after the money."

"It could be, of course,
Sergeant." Vance nodded. "But I think it is a bit early to jump to conclusions." He gave Heath a significant look under drooped
eyelids, and the Sergeant merely shrugged his shoulders and said no more.

Fleel had been watching
and listening attentively, with a shrewd, judicial air.

"I think, Mr. Vance,"
he said, "I know what is in your mind. Knowing the Kentings as well as I do, and knowing the circumstances in this household
for a great number of years, I can assure you that it would be no shock to either of them if you were to state exactly what
you think regarding this situation."

Vance looked at the
man for several seconds with the suggestion of an amused smile. At length he said: "Really, y' know, Mr. Fleel, I don't know
exactly what I do think."

"I beg to differ with
you, sir," the lawyer returned in a court-room manner. "And from my personal knowledge--the result of my many years of association
with the Kenting family--I know that it would be heartening--I might even say, an act of mercy--if you stated frankly that
you believe, as I am convinced you do, that Kaspar planned this coup himself for reasons that are only too obvious."

Vance looked at the
man with a slightly puzzled expression and then said noncommittally: "If you believe that to be the case, Mr. Fleel, what
procedure would you suggest be followed? You have known the young man for a long time and are possibly in a position to know
how best to handle him."

"Personally," answered
Fleel, "I think it is about time Kaspar should be taught a rigorous lesson. And I think we shall never have a better opportunity.
If Kenyon agrees, and is able to provide this preposterous sum, I would be heartily in favor of following whatever further
instructions are received, and then letting the law take its course on the ground's of extortion. Kaspar must be taught his
lesson." He turned to Kenting. "Don't you agree with me, Kenyon?"

"I don't know just
what to say," Kenting returned in an obvious quandary. "But somehow I feel that you are right. However, remember that we have
Madelaine to consider."

Mrs. Kenting began
crying softly and dabbing her eyes.

"Still," she demurred,
"Kaspar may not have done this terrible thing at all. But if he did . . ."

Fleel swung round
again to Vance. "Don't you see what I meant when I asked you to state frankly your belief? It would, I am sure, greatly relieve
Mrs. Kenting's anxiety, even though she thought her husband was guilty of having planned this whole frightful affair."

"My dear sir!" returned
Vance. "I would be glad to say anything which might relieve Mrs. Kenting's anxiety regarding the fate of her husband. But
I assure you that at the present moment the evidence does not warrant extending the comfort of any such belief, either to
you or to any member of the Kenting family. . . ."

At this moment there
was an interruption. At the hall door appeared a short, middle-aged man with a sallow moon-like face, sullen in expression.
Scant, colorless blond hair lay in straight long strands across his bulging pate, in an unsuccessful effort to cover up his
partial baldness. He wore thick-lensed rimless glasses through which one of his watery blue eyes looked somehow different
from the other, and he stared at us as if he resented our presence. He had on a shabby butler's livery which was too big for
him and emphasized his awkward posture. A cringing and subservient self-effacement marked his general attitude despite his
air of insolence.

"What is it, Weem?"
Mrs. Kenting asked, with no more than a glance in the man's direction.

"There is a gentleman--an
officer--at the front door," the butler answered in a surly tone, "who says he wants to see Sergeant Heath."

The man looked at
Heath morosely and answered, "He says his name is McLaughlin."

Heath nodded curtly
and looked up at Markham.

"That's all right,
Chief," he said. "McLaughlin was the man on this beat last night, and I left word at the Bureau to send him up here as soon
as they could locate him. I thought he might know something, or maybe he saw something, that would give us a line on what
happened here last night." Then he turned back to the butler. "Tell the officer to wait for me. I'll be down in a few minutes."

"Just a moment, Weem,--have
I the name right?" Vance put in. "You're the butler here, I understand."

"I think," Vance said
to Heath, "it was a good idea to get McLaughlin. . . . There's really nothing more to be done up here just now. Suppose we
go down and find out what he can tell us."

"Right!" And the Sergeant
started toward the door, followed by Vance, Markham, and myself.

Vance paused leisurely
just before reaching the door and turned to the small writing-table at the front of the room, on which the telephone stood.
He regarded it contemplatively as he approached it. Opening the two shallow drawers, he peered into them. He took up the bottle
of ink which stood at the rear of the table, just under the low stationery rack, and read the label. Setting the ink-bottle
back in its place, he turned to the small wastepaper basket beside the table and bent over it.

When he rose he asked
Mrs. Kenting:

"Does your husband
do his writing at this table?"

"Yes, always," the
woman answered, staring at Vance with a puzzled frown.

"And never anywhere
else?"

The woman shook her
head slowly.

"Never," she told
him. "You see, he has very little correspondence, and that writing-table was always more than adequate for his needs."

"But did he never
need any paste or mucilage?" Vance asked. "I don't see any here."

"Paste?" Mrs. Kenting
appeared still more puzzled. "Why, no. As a matter of fact, I don't believe there's any in the house. . . . But why--why do
you ask?"

Vance looked up at
the woman and smiled at her somewhat sympathetically.

"I'm merely trying
to learn the truth about everything, and I beg that you forgive any questions which seem irrelevant."

The woman made no
reply, and Vance again went toward the door where Markham and Heath and I were waiting, and we all went out into the hall.

As we reached the
narrow landing half-way down the stairs, Markham suddenly stopped, letting Heath proceed on his way. He took Vance by the
arm, detaining him.

"See here, Vance,"
he said aggressively, but in a subdued tone, so that no one in the room from which we had just come should overhear him. "This
kidnapping doesn't strike me as being entirely on the level. And I don't believe you yourself think that it is."

"Oh, my Markham!"
deplored Vance. "Art thou a mind-reader?"

"Drop that," continued
Markham angrily. "Either the kidnappers have no intention of harming young Kenting, or else--as Fleel suggests--Kenting staged
the whole affair and kidnapped himself."

"I am waiting patiently
for the question I fear is en route," sighed Vance with resignation.

"What I want to know,"
Markham went on doggedly, "is why you refused to offer any hope, or to admit the possibility of either of these hypotheses,
when you know damn well that the mere expression of such an opinion by you would have mitigated the apprehensions of both
Mrs. Kenting and the young fellow's brother."

Vance heaved a deep
sigh and gazed at Markham a moment with a look of mock commiseration.

"Really, y' know,
Markham," he said lightly, but with a certain seriousness, "you're a most admirable character, but you're far too naive for
this unscrupulous world. Both you and your legal friend, Fleel, are quite wrong in your suppositions. I assure you, don't
y' know, that I am not sufficiently cruel to extend false hopes to any one."

"What do you mean
by that, Vance?" Markham demanded.

"My word, Markham! I can mean only one thing."

Vance continued to
gaze at the District Attorney with sympathetic affection and lowered his voice.

There was something
as startling as it was ominous about Vance's astonishing words. However, even in the dim light of the stairway I could see
the serious expression on his face, and the finality of his tone convinced me that there was little or no doubt in his mind
as to the truth of his words regarding Kaspar Kenting's fate.

Markham was stunned
for a moment, but he was, I could see, frankly skeptical. The various bits of evidence uncovered in Kaspar Kenting's room
seemed to point indisputably toward a very definite conclusion, which was quite the reverse of the conclusion which Vance
had evidently reached. And I was sure that Markham felt as I did about it, and that he was as much surprised and confused
as I at Vance's amazing statement. Markham did not relinquish his hold on Vance's arm. He apparently recovered his poise almost
immediately and spoke in a hoarse undertone.

"You have a reason
for saying that, Vance?"

"Tut, tut, my dear
fellow," Vance returned lightly "This is neither the place nor the time to discuss the matter. I'll be quite willin' to point
out all the obvious evidence to you later on. We are not dealing here with surface indications--those are quite consistent
with the pattern which has been so neatly cut out for us. We are dealing with falsifications and subtleties; and I abhor them.
. . . We'd better wait a while, don't y' know. At the moment I am most anxious to hear what McLaughlin has to say to the Sergeant.
Let's descend and listen, what?"

Markham shrugged,
gave Vance a nettled look, and relaxed his grip on the other's arm.

"It could be, of course,"
returned Vance with a nod. "Really, I'd like to believe it."

Slowly he went down
the remaining steps to the lower hallway. Markham and I followed in silence.

McLaughlin, a heavy-footed
Irishman, was just entering the drawing-room in answer to a peremptory beckoning finger from the Sergeant, who had preceded
him. The officer looked overgrown and abnormally muscular in his tight civilian suit of blue serge. I caught a whimsical look
in Vance's eyes as his glance followed the man through the open sliding doors.

Weem was just closing
the street door, with his sullen, indifferent manner. A moment after we had reached the lower hallway, he turned and, without
a glance in our direction as he passed us, went swiftly but awkwardly toward the rear of the house. Vance watched him pass
from our line of vision, shook his head musingly, and then went toward the drawing-room.

McLaughlin (whom I
remembered from the famous case of Alvin Benson,[1] when he came to that fateful house on West 48th Street, to report the presence of a mysterious grey Cadillac) was just about
to speak to the Sergeant when he heard us enter the drawing-room. Recognizing Markham, he saluted respectfully and stepped
to one side, facing us and waiting for orders.

"McLaughlin," Heath
began--his tone carried that official gruffness he always displayed to his inferior officers, much to Vance's amusement--"something
damn wrong happened in this house last night--or maybe it was early this morning, to be more exact. What time are you relieved
from your beat here?"

"Regular time--eight o'clock,"
answered the man. "I was just fixing to go to bed an hour ago when the Inspector--"

"All right, all right,"
snapped Heath. "I ordered the Department to send you up. We need a report.--Listen: where were you around six o'clock this
morning?"

"Doing my duty, sir,"
the officer assured Heath earnestly; "walking down the other side of the street opposite here, makin' my regular rounds."

"Did you see anybody,
or anything, that looked suspicious?" demanded the Sergeant, thrusting his jaw forward belligerently.

The man started slightly
and squinted as if trying to recall something.

"I did, at that, Sergeant!"
he said. "Only I wouldn't say as how it was suspicious at the time, although the idea passed through my mind. But there wasn't
any cause to take action."

"What was it, McLaughlin?
Shoot everything, whether you think it's important or not."

"Well, Sergeant, a
coupé--it was a dirty green color--pulled up on this side of the street along about that time. There were two men in it, and
one of the guys got out and opened the hood and took a look at the engine. I came across the street and gave the car the once-over.
But everything seemed on the up-and-up, and I didn't bother 'em. Anyhow, I stood there and watched, and pretty soon the driver
got in and the coupé drove away. When it went down the block toward Columbus Avenue, the exhaust was open. . . . Well, Sergeant,
there was nothing I could do about it then, so I went back across the street and walked on up to Broadway."

"That all you noticed?"

"No, it ain't, Sergeant."
McLaughlin was looking a little uncomfortable. "I was just coming round the corner from Central Park West, back into 86th
Street again, about twenty minutes later, when the same coupé went by me like hell--only, this time it was headed east instead
of west--and it turned into the park--"

"How do you know it
was the same coupé, McLaughlin?"

"Well, I ain't takin'
no oath on it, Sergeant," the officer answered; "but it was the same kinda car, and the same dirty-green color, and the exhaust
was still open. And there was two guys in it, just like before, and the driver looked to me like the same big, smooth-faced
guy who had his head stuck in the hood when I first crossed the street to look the situation over." McLaughlin took a deep
breath and gave the Sergeant an apprehensive look, as if he expected a reprimand.

"You didn't see or
hear anything else?" growled Heath. "It musta been pretty light at that time of the morning, with the sun up."

"Not another thing,
Sergeant," the officer asserted, with obvious relief. "When I first seen the car I was headed toward Columbus; and I went
on down to Broadway, and then swung round through 87th Street to Central Park West and over again on 86th. As I says, it took
me about twenty minutes."

"Exactly where was
that coupé when you first got a squint at it?"

"Right along the curb,
about a hundred feet up the street from here, toward the park."

"Why didn't you ask
some questions of them guys in the car?"

"I told you before,
there was nothing suspicious about 'em--not until they went by me, going in the other direction. When I first seen 'em I thought
they was just a couple of bums goin' home from a joy-ride. They was quiet and polite enough, and didn't act like trouble.
These guys was plenty sober, and they was total strangers to me. There wasn't no reason to interfere with 'em--honest to God!"

Heath thought for a moment
and puffed on his cigar.

"Which way did the
car go when it entered the park?"

"Well, Sergeant, it
went into the transverse, as if it was headed for the east side. Even if I'd wanted to grab the gorillas I wouldn'ta had time.
Before I coulda got the call-box on the Avenue and talked to the fella over there, the car woulda been to hell and gone. And
there was no car or taxi anywhere round that I coulda chased 'em in. Anyway, I figured they was on the level."

Heath turned with
annoyance and paced impatiently up and down the room.

"Sure they was, sir."
The officer answered emphatically, but with an air of deference which he had not shown to the Sergeant. Vance was standing
beside Markham, and McLaughlin must have assumed that Vance was speaking for the District Attorney, as it were.

"And couldn't there
have been a third man in the coupé?" Vance proceeded. "A smaller man, let us say, whom you didn't see--on his knees, and hidden
from view, perhaps?"

"Well, there mighta
been, sir,--I ain't swearin' there wasn't. I didn't open either one of the doors and look in. But there was plenty of room
in the car for him to be sittin' up. Why should he be lying on the floor?"

"I haven't the remotest
idea--except that he might have been hiding because he didn't wish to be seen," Vance returned apathetically.

"Gosh!" muttered McLaughlin.
"You think there was three men in that car?"

"Really, McLaughlin,
I don't know," Vance drawled. "It would simplify matters if we knew there had been three men in the car. I crave a small pussy-footed
fellow."

The Sergeant had stopped
his pacing across the room and now stood near the desk, listening to Vance with an amused interest.

"Oh, quite, Sergeant.
As you say. Two are quite sufficient," Vance returned somewhat cryptically. Again he addressed himself to McLaughlin. "By
the by, officer, did you, by any chance, stumble upon a ladder during your nocturnal circuit in these parts last night?"

"I seen a ladder,
if that's what you mean," the man admitted. "It was leanin' up against that maple tree in the garden out here. I noticed it
when it began to get light. But I figured it was only being used to prune the tree, or something. There certainly wasn't any
use in reportin' a ladder in a gent's yard, was there?"

"Oh, no," Vance assured
him indifferently. "Silly idea, going about reportin' ladders--eh, what? . . . That ladder's still in the yard, officer; only,
this morning it was restin' up against the house, under an open window."

"Honest to God?" McLaughlin's
eyes grew bigger. "I hope it was O.-K. not to report it."

"Oh, quite," Vance
encouraged him. "It wouldn't have done a particle of good, anyway. Some one, don't y' know, moved it from the tree and placed
it against the house while you were strollin' up Broadway and round 87th Street. Probably doesn't mean anything of any particular
importance, however. . . . I say, did you ever notice a ladder in this yard before?"

The man shook his
head ponderously.

"No, sir," he said,
with a certain vague emphasis. "Can't say that I ever have. They generally keep that yard looking pretty neat and nice."

"Thanks awfully."
Vance sauntered to the sofa and sat down lazily, stretching his legs out before him. It was obvious he had no other questions
to put to the officer.

Heath straightened
up and took the cigar from his mouth.

"That's all, McLaughlin.
Much obliged for coming down. Go on home and hit the hay. I may, and may not, want to see you again later."

The officer saluted
half-heartedly and went toward the door.

"Look here, Sergeant,"
he said, halting and turning around. "Do you mind telling me what happened here last night? You got me worryin' about that
coupé."

"Oh, nothing much
happened, I guess. A phony snatch of some kind. It don't look serious, but we have to check up. Young fella named Kaspar Kenting
ain't anywhere abouts. And there was a cockeyed ransom note."

The officer seemed
speechless for a moment. Then he half gasped.

"Honest? Jeez!"

"Do you know him,
McLaughlin?"

"Sure I know him.
I see him lots of times coming home at all hours of the mornin'. Half the time he's pie-eyed."

Heath showed no further
inclination to talk, and McLaughlin went lumbering from the room. A moment later the front door shut noisily after him.

"What now, Mr. Vance?"
Heath was again resting his weight against the desk, puffing vigorously on his cigar.

Vance drew in his
legs, as if with great effort, and sighed.

"Oh, much more, Sergeant,"
he yawned in answer. "You haven't the faintest idea of how much I'd really like to learn about a number of things. . . ."

"But see here, Vance,"
interrupted Markham, "I first want to know what you meant by that statement you made as we were coming down the stairs. I
can't see it at all, and I'd bet money that fellow Kaspar is as safe as you or I."

"I'm afraid you'd
lose your wager, old dear."

"But all the evidence
points--" began Markham.

"Please, oh, please,
Markham," implored Vance. "Must we necessarily lean wherever a finger points? I say, let's get the completed picture first.
Then we can speak with more or less certainty about the indications. Can't a johnnie hazard a guess without being quizzed
by the great Prosecutor for the Common People?"

"Damn it, Vance!"
Markham returned angrily; "drop the persiflage and get down to business. I want to know why you said what you did on the stairs,
in the face of all the evidence to the contrary. Are you in possession of any facts to which I have not had access?"

"Oh, no--no," replied
Vance mildly, stretching out still further in the chair. "You've seen and heard everything I have. Only, we interpret the
findin's in different ways."

"All right." Markham
made an effort to curb his impatience. "Let's hear how you interpret these facts."

"Pardon me, Chief,"
put in Heath; "I didn't hear what Mr. Vance said to you on the stairs. I don't know what his ideas on the case are."

Markham took the cigar
from his mouth and looked at the Sergeant.

"Mr. Vance doesn't
believe that Kaspar Kenting was kidnapped merely for money or that he may have walked out and staged the kidnapping himself.
He said he thinks that the fellow is already dead."

Heath spun round abruptly
to Vance.

"The hell you say!"
he exclaimed. "How in the name of God did you get such an idea, Mr. Vance?"

Vance smoked a moment
before replying. Then he spoke as if the explanation were of no importance:

"My word, Sergeant!
It seems sufficiently indicated."

He paused again and
looked back meditatively to the District Attorney, who was standing before him, teetering impatiently on his toes.

"Do you really think,
Markham, that your plotting Kaspar would have gone to the Jersey casino to indulge in a bit of gamblin' on his big night--that
is to say, on the night he intended to carry out his grand coup involvin' fifty thousand dollars?"

"And why not?" Markham
wanted to know.

"It's quite obvious
this criminal undertaking was carefully prepared in advance. The note itself is sufficient evidence of this, with its letters
and words painstakingly cut out and all neatly pasted on a piece of disguised paper."

"The criminal undertaking,
as you call it, need not necessarily have been prepared very far in advance," objected Markham. "Kaspar would have had time
to do his cutting and pasting when he returned from the casino."

"Oh, no, I don't think
so," Vance returned at once. "I took a good look at the desk and the wastepaper basket. No evidence whatever of such activity.
Moreover, the johnnie's phone call in the wee hours of the morning shows a certain amount of expectation on his part of getting
the matter of his financial difficulties settled."

"Go on," said Markham,
as Vance paused once more.

"Very good," continued
Vance. "Why should Kaspar Kenting have taken three hours to change to street clothes after he had returned from his pleasant
evening of desult'ry gambling? A few minutes would have sufficed. And another question: Why should he wait until bright daylight
before going forth? The darkness would have been infinitely safer and better suited to his purpose."

"How do you know he
didn't go much earlier--before it was daylight?" demanded Markham.

"But, my dear fellow,"
explained Vance, "the ladder was still leanin' against the tree around dawn, when McLaughlin saw it, and therefore was not
placed against the window until after sun-up. I'm quite sure that, had Kaspar planned a disappearance, he would have placed
the ladder at the window ere he departed--eh, what?"

"I see what you mean,
Mr. Vance," Heath threw in eagerly. "And Mrs. Kenting herself told us that she heard some one in the room at six o'clock this
morning."

"True, Sergeant; but
that's not the important thing," Vance answered casually. "As a matter of fact, I don't think it was Kaspar at all whom Mrs.
Kenting says she heard in her husband's room at that hour this morning. . . . And, by the by, Markham, here's still another
question to be considered: Why was the communicatin' door between Kaspar's room and his wife's left unlocked, if the gentleman
contemplated carrying out a desperate and important plot that night? He would certainly not have left that door unlocked if
he planned any such action. He would have guarded against any unwelcome intrusion on the part of his wife, who had merely
to turn the knob and walk in and spoil all the fun, as it were. . . . And, speakin' of the door, you remember the lady opened
it at six, right after hearin' some one walkin' in the room in what she described as soft slippers. But when she went into
the room there was no one there. Ergo: Whoever it was she heard must have left the room hurriedly when she first knocked
and called to her husband. And don't forget that it is his heavy blucher shoes that are gone--not his slippers. If it had
been Kaspar she heard, imitatin' a slipper-shod gentleman, and if Kaspar had quickly gone out the hall door and down the front
stairs, she would certainly have heard him, as she was very much on the alert at that moment. And, also, if he'd scrambled
through the window and down the ladder with his heavy shoes on, he could hardly have done so without a sound. But the tellin'
question in this connection is: Why, if the soft-footed person in the master bedroom was Kaspar, did he wait till his wife
knocked on the door and called to him before he made a precipitate getaway? He could have left at any time during the three
hours after he had come home from his highballs and roulette-playin'. All of which, I rather think, substantiates the assumption
that it was another person that the lady heard at six o'clock this morning."

Markham's head moved
slowly up and down. His cigar had gone out, but he paid no attention to it.

"I'm beginning to
see what you mean, Vance; and I can't say your conclusions leave me happy. But what I want to know is--"

"Just a moment, Markham
old dear. Just a wee moment." Vance raised his hand to indicate that he had something further to say. "If it had been Kaspar
that Mrs. Kenting heard at six o'clock, he would hardly have had time, before he scooted off at his wife's knock, to collect
his comb and toothbrush and pajamas. Why should the chappie have bothered to take them, in the first place? True, they are
things he could well make use of on his hypothetical jaunt for the purpose of getting hold of brother Kenyon's lucre, but
he would hardly go to that trouble on so vital and all-important a venture,--the toilet articles would be far too trivial
and could easily be bought wherever he was going, if he was finicky about such details. Furthermore, if so silly a plot had
been planned by him he would have equipped himself surreptitiously beforehand and would have had the beautifyin' accessories
waitin' for him wherever he had decided to go, rather than grabbin' them up at the last minute."

Markham made no comment,
and after a moment or two Vance resumed.

"Carryin' the supposition
a bit forrader, he would have realized that the absence of these necess'ry articles would be highly suspicious and would point
too obviously to the impression he would have wished to avoid--namely, his own willful participation in the attempt to extort
the fifty thousand dollars. I'd say, y' know, that these items for the gentleman's toilet were collected and taken away--in
order to give just this impression--by the soft-footed person heard by Mrs. Kenting. . . . No, no, Markham. The comb and
the toothbrush and the pajamas and the shoes are only textural details--like the cat, the shawl-fringe, the posies, the ribbon,
and the bandanna in Manet's Olympia. . . ."

"Manufactured evidence--that's
your theory, is it?" Markham spoke without any show of aggressiveness or antagonism.

"Exactly," nodded
Vance. "Far too many leadin' clues. Really, the culprit overdid it. An embarras de richesses. Whole structure does
a bit of topplin' of its own weight. Very thorough. Too dashed thorough. Nothing left to the imagination."

Markham took a few
steps up the room, turned, and then walked back.

"You think it's a
real kidnapping then?"

"It could be," murmured
Vance. "But that doesn't strike me as wholly consistent either. Too many counter-indications. But I'm only advancin' a theory.
For instance, if Kaspar was allowed time to change his suit and shoes--as we know he did--he had time to call out, or to make
a disturbance of some kind which would have upset all the kind-hearted villain's plans. Hanging up his dinner jacket so carefully,
transferring things from his pockets, and putting away his oxfords in the closet, all indicate leisure in the process--a leisure
which the kidnappers would hardly have permitted. Kidnappers are not benevolent persons, Markham."

"Well, what do
you think happened?" Markham asked in a subdued, worried tone.

"Really, I don't know."
Vance studied the tip of his cigarette with concern. "We do know, however, that Kaspar had an engagement last night which
kept him out until three this morning; and that upon his return here he telephoned to some one and then changed to street
clothes. It might therefore be assumed that he made some appointment to be kept between three and six and saw no necessity
of going to bed in the interval. This would also account for the leisurely changing of his attire; and it is highly possible
he went quietly out through the front door when he fared forth to keep his early-morning rendezvous. Assumin' that this theory
is correct, I'd say further that he expected to return anon, for he left all the lights on. And one more thing: I think it
safe to assume that the door from his bedroom into the hall was unlocked this morning--otherwise, Mrs. Kenting would have
remembered unlocking it when she ordered coffee and went downstairs."

"And even if everything
you say is true," argued Markham, "what could have happened to him?"

Vance sighed deeply.

"All we actually know
at the moment, my dear Markham," he answered, "is that the johnnie did not come back. He seems to have disappeared. At any
rate, he isn't here."

"Even so,"--Markham
drew himself up with a slight show of annoyance--"why do you take it for granted that Kaspar Kenting is already dead?"

"I don't take it for
granted." Vance, too, drew himself up and spoke somewhat vigorously. "I said merely that I feared the johnnie is already
dead. If he did not, as it were, kidnap himself, d' ye see, and if he wasn't actually kidnapped as the term is commonly understood,
then the chances are he was murdered when he went forth to keep his appointment. His disappearance and the elaborate clues
arranged hereabouts to make it appear like a deliberate self-abduction, imply a connection between his appointment and the
evidence we observed in his room. Therefore, it's more than likely, don't y' know, that if he were held alive and later released,
he could relate enough--whom he had the appointment with, for instance--to lead us to the guilty person or persons. His immediate
death would have been the only safe course."

As Vance spoke Heath
had come forward and stood close to Markham.

"Your theory, Mr.
Vance, sounds reasonable enough the way you tell it," the Sergeant commented doggedly. "But still and all--"

Vance had risen and
was breaking his cigarette in an ash tray.

"Why argue about the
case, Sergeant," he interrupted, "when, as yet, there is so little evidence to go on? . . . Let's dawdle about a bit longer
and learn more about things."

"Learn what, and about
what things?" Markham almost barked.

Vance was in one of
his most dulcet moods.

"Really, if we knew,
Markham, we wouldn't have to learn, would we? But Kenyon Kenting, I ween, harbors a number of fruitful items:--I'm sure a
bit of social intercourse with the gentleman would be most illuminatin'. And then there's your friend, Mr. Fleel, the trusted
Justinian of the Kenting household: I've a feelin' he might be prevailed upon to suggest a few details here and there and
elsewhere. And Mrs. Kenting herself might cast a few more rays of light into the darkness. And let's not overlook old Mrs.
Falloway--Mrs. Kenting's mother, y' know--who I think lives here. Exceptional old dowager. I met her once or twice before
she became an invalid. Fascinatin' creature, Markham; bulgin' with original ideas, and shrewd no end. And it could be that
even the butler Weem would be willin' to spin a yarn or two--he appears displeased and restive enough to give vent to some
unflatterin' family confidences. . . . Really, y' know, I think all these seemingly trivial matters should be attended to
ere we depart."

"Don't worry about
such things, Vance," Markham advised him gravely. "They are all routine matters, and they'll be taken care of at the proper
time."

"Oh, Markham--my dear
Markham!" Vance was lighting another cigarette. "The present time is always the proper time." He took a few inhalations and
blew the smoke forth indolently. "Really, I'm rather interested in the case, don't y' know. It has most amazin' possibilities.
And as long as you've deprived me of attendin' the dog show today, I think I'll do a bit of snoopin' here and about."

"All right," Markham
acquiesced. "What is it you wish to focus your prodigious powers on first?"

"My word, such flattery!"
exclaimed Vance. "I haven't a single prodigious power--I'm a mere broken reed. But I simply can't bear not to inspect that
ladder."

Heath chuckled.

"Well, that's easy, Mr. Vance.
Come on round to the yard. No trouble getting in from the street."

We followed the Sergeant
through the ponderous front door, down the stone steps, and across the flagstones. The sun was still shining brightly, and
there was hardly a cloud in the sky. The light was so brilliant that for a moment it almost blinded me after the dimness of
the Kenting interior. The Sergeant led the way thirty or forty feet east, along the sidewalk, until he came to the small gate
in the low iron fence which divided the attractively sodded court of the Kenting house from the street. The gate was not on
the latch, but stood slightly ajar, and the Sergeant pushed it wide open with his foot.

Heath was first to
enter the enclosure, and he walked ahead with arms outstretched, holding us back from a too precipitate intrusion, like a
prudent brood-hen guiding her recalcitrant and over-ambitious chicks.

"Don't come too close,"
he admonished us with a solemn air. "There are footprints at the bottom of the ladder and we gotta save 'em for Cap Jerym's[1] plaster casts."

"Well, well," smiled
Vance. "Maybe you'll permit me to come as near as Captain Jerym will have to go to perform his sculpture?"

"Sure." Heath grinned.
"But I don't want them footprints interfered with. They may be the best clue we'll get."

"Dear me!" sighed
Vance. "As important as all that, Sergeant?"

Heath leaned forward
and scowled as Vance stood beside him.

"Look at this one,
Mr. Vance,"--and the Sergeant pointed to an impression in the border of the hedge within a foot of where the ladder stood.

"My word!" exclaimed
Vance. "I'm abominably flattered by even such consideration as letting me come within viewing distance of the bally footprints."
Again taking out his monocle he adjusted it carefully and, kneeling down on the lawn, inspected the imprint. He took several
moments doing so, and a puzzled frown slowly spread over his face as he carefully scrutinized the mark in the neatly raked
soil of the hedge.

"You know, sir, we
was lucky," Heath asserted. "It drizzled most of yesterday afternoon, and around about eight o'clock last night it got to
raining pretty hard, though it did clear up before midnight."

"Really, Sergeant!
I knew it only too well!" Vance did not look up. "I planned to go to the tennis matches at Forest Hills yesterday afternoon,
to see young Henshaw[2] play, but I simply couldn't bear the inclement weather." He said nothing more for several moments--his entire interest seemed
to be centred on the footprint he was inspecting. At length he murmured without turning: "Rather small footprint here--eh,
what?"

"I'll say it is,"
agreed Heath. "Mighta been a dame. And it looks like it was made with flat slippers of some kind. There's no heel mark."

Vance relaxed his
hold on the ladder momentarily, and turned to Heath with an amused smile.

"I'll at least give
Dubois and Bellamy something to work on," he said lightly. "I fear there won't be any other finger-prints on this irrelevant
exhibit. And it will be rather difficult to pin the crime on me. I've an unimpeachable alibi. Sittin' at home with Van Dine
here, and readin' a bedtime story from Boccaccio."

Heath was spluttering.
Before he could answer, Vance turned, grasped the ladder again, and lifted it so that its base was clear of the ground. Then
he set it down several inches to the right.

"Really, Sergeant,
you have nothing whatever to be squeamish about. Cheer up, and be more trustin'. Consider the lilies, and don't forget that
the snail's on the thorn."

Before the Sergeant
could protest Vance had thrown his cigarette carelessly away and was moving quickly up the ladder, rung by rung. When he was
about three-quarters of the way up he stopped and made his way down. When he had descended and stood again on the lawn, he
carefully and deliberately lighted another cigarette.

"I'm rather afraid
to look and see just what happened. It would be most humiliatin' if I were wrong. However. . . ."

Again he lifted the
ladder and moved it still farther to the right. Then he went a second time on his knees and inspected the new imprints which
the two uprights of the ladder had made in the ground. After a moment he looked studiously at the original imprints of the
ladder; and I could see that he was comparing the two sets.

"Very interestin',"
he murmured as he rose and turned to Heath.

"What's interesting?"
demanded the Sergeant. He again seemed to be nettled by Vance's complete disregard of the risk of making finger-prints on
the ladder.

"Sergeant," Vance
told him seriously, "the imprints I just made when I mounted the ladder are of practically the same depth as the imprints
made by the ladder last night." Vance took a deep puff on his cigarette. "Do you see the significance of the results of that
little test of mine?"

Heath corrugated his
forehead, pursed his lips, and looked at Vance questioningly.

"Well, Mr. Vance,
to tell you the truth--" He hesitated. "I can't say as I do see what it means--except that you've maybe spoiled a lot of good
finger-prints."

"It means several
other things. And don't stew so horribly about your beloved hypothetical fingerprints." Vance broke the ashes from his cigarette
against the ladder, and sat down lazily on the second rung. "Imprimis, it means that two men were not on the ladder
at the same time last night--or, rather, this morning. Secondly, it means that whoever was on that ladder was a very slight
person who could not have weighed over 120 or 130 pounds. Thirdly, it means that Mr. Kaspar Kenting was not kidnapped via
yon open window at all. . . . Does any of that help?"

"I still can't see
it." Heath was holding his cigar meditatively between thumb and forefinger.

"My dear Sergeant!"
sighed Vance. "Let us reflect and analyze for a moment. When the ladder was placed against this window between dawn and six
o'clock, before the sun had come up, the ground was much softer than it is now, and any weight or pressure on the ladder would
have created imprints of a certain depth in the moist sod. At the present time the soil is obviously drier and harder, for
the sun has been shining on it for several hours. However, you noted--did you not?--that the ladder sank into the ground--or,
rather, made impressions in the ground--when I mounted it, of equal depth with that of the earlier imprints. I have a feelin'
that if I had mounted the ladder when the ground was considerably damper the ladder would have gone in deeper--eh, what?"

"I getcha now," blurted
Heath. "The guy who went up that ladder early this morning musta been a damn sight lighter than you, Mr. Vance."

"Right-o, Sergeant."
Vance smiled musingly. "It was a very small person. And if two persons had been on that ladder--that is, Mr. Kaspar
Kenting and his supposed abductor--I rather think the original impressions made by the ladder would have been far deeper."

"Sure they would."
Heath was gazing down at the two sets of impressions as if hypnotized.

"Therefore," Vance
went on casually, "aren't we justified in assuming that only one person stepped on this ladder early this morning, and that
that person was a very slight and fragile human being?"

Heath looked up at
Vance with puzzled admiration.

"Yes, sir. But where
does that get us?"

"The findings, as
it were," continued Vance, "taken in connection with the footprints, seem to tell us that a Chinese gentleman of small stature
was the only person who used this ladder. Pure supposition, of course, Sergeant; but I rather opine that--"

"Yes, yes," Markham
interrupted. He had been drawing vigorously on his cigar, giving his earnest attention to the demonstration and Vance's subsequent
conversation with Heath. He now nodded comprehendingly. "Yes," he repeated. "You see some connection between these footprints
and the more-or-less Chinese signature on that ransom note."

"Oh, no--not a thing,
old dear." Vance blew a ribbon of smoke into the air, and rose lackadaisically.

He cast a meditative
glance back at the ladder and at the trimmed privet hedge behind it, which ran the full length of the house. He stood motionless
for a moment and squinted.

"I say, Markham,"
he commented in a low voice; "there's something shining there in the hedge. I don't think it's a leaf that's reflecting the
light at that one spot."

As he spoke he moved
quickly to a point just at the left of where the ladder now stood. He looked down at the small green leaves of the privet
for a moment, and then, reaching forward with both hands, he separated the dense foliage and leaned over, as if seeking something.

"Ah! . . . My word!"

As Vance separated
the foliage still farther, I saw a silver-backed dressing comb wedged between two closely forked branches of the privet.

Markham, who was standing
at an angle to Vance, started forward.

"What is it, Vance?"
he demanded.

Vance, without answering
him, reached down and retrieving the comb, turned and held it out in the palm of his hand.

"It's just a comb,
as you see, old dear," he said. "An ordin'ry comb from a gentleman's dressing set. Ordin'ry, except for the somewhat elaborate
scrollwork of the silver back." He glanced at the astonished Heath. "Oh, no need to be upset, Sergeant. The scrolled silver
wouldn't take any clear finger-prints, anyway. And I'm quite certain you wouldn't find any, in any event."

"It could be, of course,"
nodded Vance. "I rather surmise as much. It was just beneath the open window of the chappie's boudoir."

Heath was shaking
his head somewhat shamefacedly.

"How the hell did
Snitkin and I miss that?" His tone carried a tinge of regret and self-criticism.

"Oh, cheer up, Sergeant,"
Vance encouraged him good-naturedly. "You see, it was caught in the hedge before reaching the ground, and was jolly well hidden
by the density of the leaves. I happened to be standing at just the right angle to get a glimpse of it through the leaves
with the sun on it. . . . I imagine that whoever dropped it couldn't find it either, and, as time was pressin', the curs'ry
search was abandoned. Interestin' item--what?" He tucked the comb into his upper waistcoat pocket.

Markham was still
scowling, his eyes fixed inquiringly on Vance.

"What do you think
about it?" he asked.

"Oh, I'm not thinkin',
Markham." Vance started toward the gate. "I'm utterly exhausted. Let's stagger back into the Kenting domicile."

As we entered the
front door, Mrs. Kenting, Kenyon Kenting, and Fleel were just descending the stairs.

Vance approached them
and asked, "Do any of you happen to know anything about that ladder in the yard?"

"I never saw it before
this morning," Mrs. Kenting answered slowly, in a deadened voice.

"Nor I," added her
brother-in-law. "I can't imagine where it came from, unless it was brought here last night by the kidnappers."

"And I, of course,"
said Fleel, "would have no way of knowing anything about any ladders here. I haven't been here for a long time, and I never
remember seeing a ladder around the premises before."

"You're quite sure,
Mrs. Kenting," pursued Vance, "the ladder doesn't belong here? Might it, perhaps, have been kept somewhere at the rear of
the house without your having seen it?" He looked at the woman with a slight frown.

"I'm quite sure it
doesn't belong here," she said in the same muffled tone of voice. "Had it ever been here, I should have known about it. And,
anyway, we have no need of such a ladder."

"Most curious," murmured
Vance. "The ladder was resting against the maple tree in your courtyard early this morning when Officer McLaughlin passed
the house."

"The maple tree?"
Kenyon Kenting spoke with noticeable astonishment. "Then it was moved from the maple tree to the side of the house later?"

"Exactly. Obviously
the people concerned in this affair made two trips here last night. Very confusin'--what?"

Vance dismissed the
subject, and, reaching in his pocket, brought out the comb he had found in the privet hedge, and held it out to the woman.

"By the by, Mrs. Kenting,
is this, by any chance, your husband's comb?"

The woman stared at
it with frightened eyes.

"Yes, yes!" she exclaimed
almost inaudibly. "That's Kaspar's comb. Where did you find it, Mr. Vance,--and what does it mean?"

"I found it in the
privet hedge just beneath his window," Vance told her. "But I don't know yet what it means, Mrs. Kenting."

Before the woman could
ask further questions Vance turned quickly to Kenyon Kenting and said:

"We should like to
have a little chat with you, Mr. Kenting. Where can we go?"

The man looked around
as if slightly dazed and undecided.

"I think the den might
be the best place," he said. He walked down the hall to a room just beyond the still open entrance to the gem-room, and, throwing
the door wide, stepped to one side for us to enter. Mrs. Kenting and Fleel proceeded through the sliding doors into the drawing-room
on the opposite side of the hall.

[1]Captain Anthony P. Jerym, Bertillon expert of the New York Police
Department.

[2]The sensational Davis cup winner and America's first seeded player
at the time.

Kenyon Kenting followed
us into the den and, closing the door, stepped to a large leather armchair, and sat down uneasily on the edge of it.

"I will be very glad
to tell you anything I know," he assured us. Then he added, "But I'm afraid I can be of little help."

"That, of course,
remains to be seen," murmured Vance. He had gone to the small bay window and stood looking out with his hands deep in his
coat pockets. "First of all, we wish to know just what the financial arrangement is between you and your brother. I understand
that when your father died the estate was all left at your disposal, and that whatever money Kaspar Kenting should receive
would be subject to your discretion."

Kenting nodded his
head repeatedly, as if agreeing; but it was evident that he was thinking the matter over. Finally he said:

"That is quite right.
Fleel, however, was appointed the custodian, so to speak, of the estate. And I wish to assure you that not only have I maintained
this house for Kaspar, but have given him even more money than I thought was good for him."

"Your brother is a
bit of a spendthrift--eh, what?"

"He is very wasteful--and
very fond of gambling." Kenting spoke in a guarded semi-resentful tone. "He is constantly making demands on me for his gambling
debts. I've paid a great many of them, but I had to draw the line somewhere. He has a remarkable facility for getting into
trouble. He drinks far too much. He has always been a very difficult problem--especially in view of the fact that Madelaine,
his wife, has to be considered."

"Did you always decide
these monet'ry matters entirely by yourself?" Vance asked the man casually. "Or did you confer with Mr. Fleel about them?"

Kenting shot Vance
a quick look and then glanced down again.

"I naturally consulted
Mr. Fleel on any matters of importance regarding the estate. He is co-executor, appointed by my father. In minor matters this
is not necessary, of course; but I do not have a free hand, as the distribution of the money is a matter of joint responsibility;
and, as I say, Mr. Fleel has, in a way, complete legal charge of it. But I can assure you that there were never any clashes
of opinion on the subject,--Fleel is wholly reasonable and understands the situation thoroughly. I find it an ideal arrangement."

Vance smoked for several
moments in silence, while the other man looked vaguely before him. Then Vance turned from the window and sat down in the swivel
chair before the old-fashioned roll-top desk of oak at one side of the window.

"When was the last
time you saw your brother?" he asked, busying himself with his cigarette.

"The day before yesterday,"
the man answered promptly. "I generally see him at least three times a week--either here or at my office downtown--there are
always minor matters of one kind or another to decide on, and he naturally depends a great deal on my judgment. In fact, the
situation is such that even the ordinary household expenses have always been referred to me."

Vance nodded without
looking up.

"And did your brother
bring up the subject of finances on Monday?"

Kenyon Kenting fidgeted
a bit and shifted his position in the chair. He did not answer at once. But at length he said, in a half-hearted tone, "I
would prefer not to go into that, inasmuch as I regard it as a personal matter, and I cannot see that it has any bearing on
the present situation."

Vance studied the
man for a moment.

"That is a point for
us to decide, I believe," he said in a peculiarly hard voice. "We should like you to answer the question."

Kenting looked again
at Vance and then fixed his eyes on the wall ahead of him.

"If you deem it necessary,
of course--" he began. "But I would much prefer to say nothing about it."

"I'm afraid, sir,"
put in Markham, in his most aggressive official manner, "we must insist that you answer the question."

Kenting shrugged reluctantly
and settled back in his chair, joining the tips of his fingers.

"Very well," he said
resignedly. "If you insist. On Monday my brother asked me for a large sum of money--in fact, he was persistent about it, and
became somewhat hysterical when I refused him."

"Did he state what
he required this money for?" asked Vance.

"Oh, yes," the man
said angrily. "The usual thing--gambling and unwarranted debts connected with some woman."

"Would you be more
specific as to the gambling debts?" pursued Vance.

"Well, you know the
sort of thing." Kenting again shifted in his chair. "Roulette, black-jack, the bird-cage, cards--but principally horses. He
owed several book-makers some preposterous amount."

"Do you happen to
know the names of any of these book-makers?"

"No, I don't." Once
more the man glanced momentarily at Vance then lowered his eyes. "Wait--I think one of them had a name something like Hannix."[2]

"Ah! Hannix, eh?"
Vance contemplated his cigarette for a few moments. "What was so urgent about this as to produce hysterics?"

"The fact is," the
other went on, "Kaspar told me the men were unscrupulous and dangerous, and that he feared for himself if he did not pay them
off immediately. He said he had already been threatened."

"That doesn't sound
like Hannix," mused Vance. "Hannix looks pretty hard, I know, but he's really a babe at heart. He's a shrewd gentleman, but
hardly a vicious one. . . . And I say, Mr. Kenting, what was the nature of your brother's debts in connection with the mysterious
lady you mentioned? Jewelry, perhaps?"

The man nodded vigorously.

"Yes, that's just
it," he said emphatically.

"Well, well. Everything
seems to be running true to form. Your brother's position was not in the least original--what? Gamblin' debts, liquor, and
ladies cravin' precious gems. Most conventional, don't y' know." A faint smile played over Vance's lips. "And you denied your
brother the money?"

"I had to," asserted
Kenting. "The amount would almost have beggared the estate, what with so much tied up in what we've come to call 'frozen assets.'
It was far more than I could readily get together at the time, and anyway, I would have had to take the matter up with Fleel,
even if I had been inclined to comply with Kaspar's demands. And I knew perfectly well that Fleel would not approve my doing
so. He has a moral as well as legal responsibility, you understand."

Vance took several
deep inhalations on his Régie and sent a succession of ribbons of blue smoke toward the old discolored Queen-Anne ceiling.

"Did your brother
approach Mr. Fleel about the matter?"

"Yes, he did," the
other returned. "Whenever I refuse him anything he goes immediately to Fleel. As a matter of fact, Fleel has always been more
sympathetic with Kaspar than I have. But Kaspar's demand this time was too utterly outrageous, and Fleel turned him down as
definitely as I did. And--although I don't like to say so--I really think Kaspar was grossly exaggerating his needs. Fleel
got the same impression, and mentioned to me over the phone the next morning that he was very angry with Kaspar. He told me,
too, that legally he was quite helpless in the matter and could not accommodate Kaspar, even if he had personally wanted to."

"Has Mrs. Kenting
any money of her own?" Vance asked unexpectedly.

"Nothing--absolutely
nothing!" the man assured him. "She is entirely dependent upon what Kaspar gives her--which, of course, means some part of
what I allow him from the estate. Often I think that he does not do the right thing by her and deprives her of many of the
things she should have, so that he himself can fritter the money away." A scowl came over the man's face. "But there's nothing
I can do about it. I have tried to remonstrate with him, but it's worse than useless."

"In view of this morning's
occurrence," suggested Vance, "it may be that your brother was not unduly exaggerating about the necessity for this money."

Kenting became suddenly
serious, and his eyes wandered unhappily about the room.

"That is a horrible thought,
sir," he said, half under his breath. "But it is one that occurred to me immediately when I arrived here early this morning.
And you can be sure it left me uncomfortable."

Vance regarded the
man dubiously as he addressed him again.

"When you receive
further instructions regarding the ransom money, what do you intend to do about it--that is to say, just what is your feeling
in the matter?"

Kenting rose from
his chair and stood looking down at the floor. He appeared deeply troubled.

"As a brother," he
said slowly, "what can I do? I suppose I must manage somehow to get the money and pay it. I can't let Kaspar be murdered.
. . . It's a frightful situation."

"Yes--quite," agreed
Vance.

"And then there's
Madelaine. I could never forgive myself. . . . I say again, it's a frightful situation."

"Nasty mess. Rather.
Still, I have a groggy notion," Vance went on, "that you won't be called upon to pay the ransom money at all. . . . And, by
the by, Mr. Kenting, you didn't mention the amount that your brother asked for when you last saw him. Tell me: how much did
he want to get him out of his imagin'ry difficulties?"

Kenting raised his
head sharply and looked at Vance with a shrewdness he had not hitherto displayed during the interview. Withal, he seemed ill
at ease and took a few nervous steps back and forth before replying.

"I was hoping you
wouldn't ask me that question," he said regretfully. "I avoided it purposely, for I am afraid it might create an erroneous
impression."

Vance leaned back
in the swivel chair and looked unseeingly at one of the old etchings over the desk.

"I imagined that was
the figure," he murmured. "Thanks awfully, Mr. Kenting. We sha'n't bother you any more just now, except that I should like
to know whether Mrs. Kenting's mother, Mrs. Falloway, still lives here in the Purple House."

Kenting seemed surprised
at the question.

"Oh, yes," he said
with disgruntled emphasis. "She still occupies the front suite on the third floor with her son, Mrs. Kenting's brother. But
the woman is crippled now and can get about only with a cane. She rarely is able to come downstairs, and she almost never
goes outdoors."

"What about the son?"
asked Vance.

"He's the most incompetent
young whippersnapper I've ever known. He always seems to be sickly and has never earned so much as a penny. He's perfectly
content to live here with his mother at the expense of the Kenting estate." The man's manner now had something of resentment
and venom in it.

"Most unpleasant and
annoyin' situation--what?" Vance rose and put out his cigarette. "Does Mrs. Falloway or her son know about what happened here
last night?"

"Oh, yes," the man
told him. "Both Madelaine and I spoke to them about it this morning, as we saw no point in keeping the matter a secret."

"And we, too, should
like to speak to them," said Vance. "Would you be so good as to take us upstairs?"

Kenting seemed greatly relieved.

"I'll be glad to,"
he said, and started for the door. We followed him upstairs.

Mrs. Falloway was
a woman between sixty and sixty-five years old. She was of heavy build and seemed to possess a corresponding aggressiveness.
Her skin was somewhat wrinkled, but her thick hair was almost black, despite her years. There was an unmistakable masculinity
about her, and her hands were large and bony, like those of a man. She had an intelligent and canny expression, and her features
were large and striking. Withal, there was a wistful feminine look in her eyes. She impressed me as a woman with an iron will,
but also with an innate sense of loyalty and sympathy.

When we entered her
room that morning Mrs. Falloway was sitting placidly in a wicker armchair in front of the large bay window. She wore an antiquated
black alpaca dress which fell in voluminous folds about her and completely hid her feet. An old-fashioned hand-crocheted afghan
was thrown over her shoulders. On the floor beside her chair lay a long heavy Malakka cane with a shepherd's-crook gold handle.

At an old and somewhat
dilapidated walnut secretary sat a thin, sickly youth, with straight dark hair which fell forward over his forehead, and large,
prominent features. There was no mistaking mother and son. The pale youth held a magnifying glass in one hand and was moving
it back and forth over a page of exhibits in a stamp album which was propped up at an angle facing the light.

"These gentlemen wish
to speak to you, Mrs. Falloway," Kenyon Kenting said in an unfriendly tone. (It was obvious that an antagonism of some kind
existed between the woman and this man on whose bounty she depended.) "I won't remain," Kenting added. "I think I'd better
join Madelaine." He went to the door and opened it. "I'll be downstairs if you should need me." This last remark was addressed
to Vance.

When he had gone,
Vance took a few steps toward the woman with an air of solicitation.

"Perhaps you remember
me, Mrs. Falloway--" he began.

"Oh, very well, Mr.
Vance. It is very pleasant to see you again. Do sit down in that armchair there, and try to imagine that this meager room
is a Louis-Seize salon." There was a note of apology in her voice, accompanied by an unmistakable undertone of rancor.

Vance bowed formally.

"Any room you grace,
Mrs. Falloway," he said, "becomes the most charming of salons." He did not accept her invitation to sit down, however, but
remained standing deferentially.

"What do you make
of this situation?" she went on. "And do you really think anything has happened to my son-in-law?" Her voice was hard and
low-pitched.

"I really cannot say
just yet," Vance answered. "We were hopin' you might be able to help us." He casually presented the others of us, and the
woman acknowledged the introductions with dignified graciousness.

"This is my son, Fraim,"
she said, waving with a bony hand toward the anæmic young man at the secretary.

Fraim Falloway rose
awkwardly and inclined his head without a word; then he sank back listlessly into his chair.

"Philatelist?" asked
Vance, studying the youth.

"I collect American
stamps." There was no enthusiasm in the lethargic voice, and Vance did not pursue the subject.

"Did you hear anything
in the house early this morning?" Vance went on. "That is, did you hear Mr. Kaspar Kenting come in--or any kind of a noise
between three and six o'clock?"

Fraim Falloway shook
his head without any show of interest.

"I didn't hear anything,"
he said. "I was asleep."

Vance turned to the
mother.

"Did you hear anything,
Mrs. Falloway?"

"I heard Kaspar come
in--he woke me up banging the front door shut." She spoke with bitterness. "But that's nothing new. I went to sleep again,
however, and didn't know anything had happened until Madelaine and Mr. Kenyon Kenting informed me of it this morning, after
my breakfast."

"Could you suggest
any reason," asked Vance, "why any one should wish to kidnap Kaspar Kenting?"

The woman uttered
a harsh, mirthless chuckle.

"No. But I can give
you many reasons why any one should not wish to kidnap him," she returned with a hard, intolerant look. "He is not
an admirable character," she went on, "nor a pleasant person to have around. And I regret the day my daughter married him.
However," she added--and it seemed to me grudgingly--"I wouldn't wish to see any harm come to the scamp."

"And why not, mater?"
asked Fraim Falloway with a whine. "You know perfectly well he has made us all miserable, including Sis. Personally, I think
it's good riddance." The last words were barely audible.

"Don't be vindictive,
son," the woman reproved him with a sudden softening in her tone, as the youth turned back to his stamps.

Vance sighed as if
this interchange between mother and son bored him.

"Then you are not
able, Mrs. Falloway, to suggest any reason for Mr. Kenting's sudden disappearance, or tell us anything that might be at all
helpful?"

"No. I know nothing,
and have nothing to tell you." Mrs. Falloway closed her lips with an audible sound.

"In that case," Vance
returned politely, "I think we had better be going downstairs."

The woman picked up
her cane and struggled to her feet, despite Vance's protestations.

"I wish I could help
you," she said with sudden kindliness. "But I am so well isolated these days with my infirmity. Walking, you know, is quite
a painful process for me. I'm afraid I'm growing old."

She limped beside
us slowly to the door, her son, who had risen, holding her tightly by one arm and casting reproachful glances at us.

In the hall Vance
waited till the door was shut.

"An amusing old girl,"
he remarked. "Her mind is as young and shrewd as it ever was. . . . Unpleasant young citizen, Fraim. He's as ill as the old
lady, but he doesn't know it. Endocrine imbalance," Vance continued as we went downstairs. "Needs medical attention. I wonder
when he had a basal metabolism taken last. I'd say his chart would read in the minus thirties. May be thyroid. But it's more
than possible, y' know, he needs the suprarenal hormone."

Markham snorted.

"He simply looks like
a weakling to me."

"Oh, yes. Doubtless.
As you say, devoid of stamina. And full of resentment against his fellow-men and especially against his brother-in-law. At
any rate, an unpleasant character, Markham."

"A queer and unwholesome
case," Markham commented, half to himself, and then lapsed into thoughtful silence as he descended the stairs with Vance.
When we had reached the lower hall Vance went immediately toward the drawing-room and stepped inside.

Mrs. Kenting, who
seemed perturbed and ill at ease, sat rigidly upright on the small sofa where we had first seen her. Her brother-in-law sat
beside her, looking at her with a solicitous, comforting air. Fleel was leaning back in an easy chair near the desk, smoking
a cigar and endeavoring to maintain a judicious and unconcerned mien.

Vance glanced about
him casually and, drawing up a small, straight-backed chair beside the sofa, sat down and addressed himself to the obviously
unhappy woman.

"I know you told us,
Mrs. Kenting," he began, "that you could not describe the men who called on your husband several nights ago. I wish, however,
you would make an effort to give us at least a general description of them."

"It's strange that
you should ask me that," the woman said. "I was just speaking to Kenyon about them and trying to recall what they looked like.
The fact is, Mr. Vance, I paid little attention to them, but I know that one of them was a large man and seemed to me to have
a very thick neck. And, as I recall, there was a lot of grey in his hair; and he may have had a clipped mustache--I really
don't remember: it's all very vague. That was the man who came twice. . . ."

"Your description,
madam," remarked Vance, nodding his head, "corresponds to the appearance of a certain gentleman I have in mind; and if it
is the same person, your impression regarding the clipped mustache is quite correct--"

"Oh, who was he, Mr.
Vance?" The woman leaned forward eagerly with a show of nervous animation. "Do you think you know who is responsible for this
terrible thing?"

Vance shook his head
and smiled sadly.

"No," he said, "I'm
deuced sorry I cannot offer any hope in that particular quarter. If this man who called on your husband is the one I think
it is, he is merely a good-natured book-maker who is at times aroused to futile anger when his clients fail to pay their debts.
I'm quite sure, don't y' know, that if he should pop in here again at the present moment, you would find him inclined to exert
his efforts in your behalf. I fear that we must dismiss him as a possibility. . . . But, by the by, Mrs. Kenting," Vance continued
quickly, "can you tell me anything definite about the second man that called on your husband?"

The woman shook her
head vaguely.

"Almost nothing, Mr.
Vance," she returned. "I'm very sorry, but I caught only a glimpse of him. However, I recall that he was much shorter than
the first man, and very dark. And my impression is that he was very well dressed. I remember thinking at the time that he
seemed far less dangerous than his companion. But I do know that, in the fleeting glimpses I had of both the men, they struck
me as being undesirable and untrustworthy characters. And I admit I worried about them on Kaspar's account. . . . Oh, I do
wish I could tell you more, but I can't."

Vance thanked her
with a slight bow.

"I can understand
just how you felt, and how you feel now," he said in a kindly tone. "But I hardly think that either of these two objectionable
visitors are in any way connected with your husband's disappearance. If they had really contemplated anything, I seriously
doubt that they would have come here to their proposed victim's home and run the risk of being identified later. The second
man--whom you describe as short, dark, and dapper--was probably a gambling-house keeper who had an account against your husband
for overenthusiastic wagering. I can easily understand how he might be acquainted with the book-making gentleman who makes
his livelihood through the cupidity of persons who persist in the belief that past-performance figures are an indication of
how any horse will run at a given time."

As Vance spoke he
rose from his chair and turned to Fleel, who had been listening intently to Vance's brief interchange with Mrs. Kenting.

"Before we go, sir,"
Vance said, "we wish to speak with you for a moment in the den. There are one or two points with which I feel you may be able
to help us. . . . Do you mind?"

The lawyer rose with
alacrity.

"I'll be very glad
to do whatever I can to be of assistance," he said. "But I'm of the opinion I can tell you nothing more than you already know."

[2]This was the same Mr. Hannix whom Vance had already met both at Bowie and
at Empire, and who had acted as Floyd Garden's book-maker before that young man lost his interest in racing as a result of
the tragic events related in "The Garden Murder Case."

In the den Fleel seated
himself with an easy, confident air and waited for Vance or Markham to speak. His manner was businesslike and competent, despite
a certain lack of energy. I had a feeling he could, if he wished, supply us with more accurate and reasoned information than
any of the members of the family. But Vance did not question him to any great extent. He seemed uninterested in any phase
of the case on which the lawyer might have had information or suggestions to offer.

"Mr. Kenting tells us,"
Vance began, "that his brother demanded a large sum of money recently, to meet his debts, and that, when the demand was refused,
Kaspar went to you as one of the executors of the estate."

"That is quite correct,"
Fleel responded, taking the cigar from his mouth and smoothing the wrapper with a moistened forefinger. "I, too, refused the
demand; for, to begin with, I did not entirely believe the story Mr. Kaspar Kenting told me. He has cried 'wolf' so often
that I have become skeptical, and did nothing about it. Moreover, Mr. Kenyon Kenting and I had consented to give him a large
sum of money--ten thousand dollars, to be exact--only a few weeks ago. There were similar difficulties in which he said he
had become involved at the time. We did it then, of course, for his wife's sake more than for his own--as, indeed, we had
often done it before; but, unfortunately, no benefit ever accrued to her from these advances on her husband's patrimony."

"Did Mr. Kaspar see
you personally?" asked Vance.

"No, he did not. He
called me on the telephone," Fleel replied. "Frankly, I didn't ask him for any details other than those he volunteered, and
I was rather brusque with him. . . . I might say that Kaspar has been a trying problem to the executors of the estate."

"Despite which," continued
Vance, "I imagine his brother, as well as you yourself, will do everything possible to get him back, even to meeting the terms
of the ransom note. Am I right?"

"I see nothing else
to be done," the lawyer said without enthusiasm. "Unless, of course, the situation can be satisfactorily adjusted without
payment of the ransom money. Of course we don't know for certain whether or not this is a bona fide kidnapping. Kidnapping
is a damnable crime. . . ."

"Quite," agreed Vance
with a sigh. "It places every one in a most irksome predicament. But, of course, there is nothing to be done until we have
some further word from the supposed abductors. . . ."

Vance looked up and
added quickly:

"By the by, Mrs. Kenting
has informed us that Kaspar spoke to some one on the telephone when he came home in the early hours of this morning, and that
he became angry. I wonder if it could have been you he called again?"

"Yes, damn it!" the
lawyer returned with stern bitterness. "It was I. He woke me up some time after three, and became very vituperative when I
refused to alter my previous decision. In fact, he said that both Kenyon and I would regret our penuriousness in refusing
to help him, as he was certain it would result in some mischief, but did not say just what guise it might take. As a matter
of fact, he sounded very much upset, and flew off the handle. But, I frankly admit, I didn't take him too seriously, for I
had been through the same sort of thing with him before. . . . It seems now," the lawyer added a little uncomfortably, "that
he was telling the truth for once--that it wasn't just an idle conjecture; and I am wondering if Kenyon and I shouldn't have
investigated the situation before taking a definite stand."

"No, no; I think not,"
murmured Vance. "I doubt that it would have done any good. I have an idea the situation was not a new development--although
there are, to be sure, few enough facts in hand at present on which to base an opinion. I don't like the outlook at all. It
has too many conflictin' elements. . . . By the by, Mr. Fleel,"--Vance looked frankly at the man--"just how large a sum did
Kaspar Kenting ask you for?"

"Too large an amount
even to have been considered," returned the lawyer. "He asked for thirty thousand dollars."

"Thirty thousand," Vance
repeated. "That's very interestin'." He rose lazily to his feet and straightened his clothes. "That will be all, I think,
for the moment, Mr. Fleel," he said. "And many thanks for the trouble you've taken. There's little left to be done at the
moment, aside from the usual routine. We will, of course, guard the matter as best we can. And we will get in touch with you
if there is any new development."

Fleel stood up and bowed
stiffly.

"You can always reach
me through my office during the day, or through my home in the evening." He took an engraved card from his pocket and handed
it to Vance. "There are my phone numbers, sir. . . . I think I shall remain a while with Mrs. Kenting and Kenyon." And he
went from the den.

Markham, looking serious
and puzzled, held Vance back.

"What do you make of
that discrepancy in the amount, Vance?" he asked in a gruff, lowered tone.

"My dear Markham!" Vance
shook his head solemnly. "There are many things we cannot make anything of at the present moment. One never knows--does one?--at
this stage of the game. Perhaps young Kaspar, having failed with his brother, reduced the ante, as it were, in approaching
Fleel, thinking he might get better results at the lower figure. Curious though; the amount demanded in the ransom note corresponds
to what he told Kenyon he needed. On the other hand--I wonder. . . . However, let's commune with the butler before we toddle
on."

Vance went to the door
and opened it. Just outside stood Weem, bending slightly forward, as if he had been eavesdropping. Instead of showing any
signs of embarrassment, the man looked up truculently and turned away.

"See here, Weem," Vance
halted him. "Step inside a moment," he said with an amused smile. "You can hear better; and, anyway, there are one or two
questions we'd like to put to you."

The man turned back
without a word and entered the den with an air of sulkiness. He looked past us all with his watery eyes and waited.

"Weem, how long have
you been the Kenting butler?" asked Vance.

"Going on three years,"
was the surly response.

"Three years," repeated
Vance thoughtfully. "Good. . . . Have you any ideas, Weem, as to what happened here last night?" Vance reached in his pocket
for his cigarette case.

"No, sir; none whatever,"
the butler returned, without looking at any of us. "But nothing would surprise me in this house. There are too many people
who'd like to get rid of Mr. Kaspar."

"Are you, by any chance,
one of them?" asked Vance lightly, watching the other with faint amusement.

"I'd just as soon never
see him again." The answer came readily, in a disgruntled, morose tone.

"And who else do you
think feels the same way about Mr. Kaspar Kenting?" Vance went on.

"Mrs. Falloway and young
Mr. Falloway have no love for him, sir." There was no change in the man's tone. "And even Mrs. Kenting herself has had more
than enough of him, I think. She and Mr. Kenyon are very good friends--and there was never any great love between the two
brothers. . . . Mr. Kaspar is a very difficult man to get along with--he is very unreasonable. Other people have some rights,
sir; but he doesn't think so. He's the kind of man that strikes his wife when he has too much to drink--"

"I think that will be
all," Vance broke in sharply. "You're an unspeakable gossip, Weem." He turned away with a look of keen distaste, and the butler
shuffled from the room without any sign of displeasure or offense.

"Come, Markham," said
Vance. "Let's get out into the air. I don't like it in this house--I don't at all like it."

"But it strikes me--"
began Markham.

"Oh, don't let your
conscience bother you," interrupted Vance. "The only course we can possibly take is to wait for the next step on the part
of our dire plotters." Although Vance spoke in a bantering tone, it was obvious from the deliberate way he lighted a cigarette
that he was deeply troubled. "Something will happen soon, Markham. The next move will be expertly engineered, I'll wager.
The case is by no means ended with this concocted kidnappin'. Too many loose ends--oh, far too many." He moved across the
room. "Patience, my dear chap." He threw the admonition lightly over his shoulder to Markham. "We're supposed to be bustlin'
with various anticipated activities. Some one is hopin' we'll take just the route indicated for us and thus be led entirely
off the track. But, I say, let's not be gullible. Patience is our watchword. Patience and placidity. Nonchalance. Let the
other johnnies make the next move. Live patiently and learn. Imitate the mountain--Mohammed is trudgin' your way."

Markham stood still
in the centre of the room, looking down at the worn early-American art square. He seemed to be pondering something that bothered
him.

"See here, Vance," he
said after a brief silence, lifting his head and looking squarely at the other. "You speak of 'plotters' and 'johnnies'--both
plural. You really think, then, that this damnable situation is the doing of more than one person?"

"Oh, yes--undoubtedly,"
Vance returned readily. "Far too many diverse activities for just one. A certain co-ordination was needed--and one person
cannot be in two different places at the same time, don't y' know. Oh, undoubtedly more than one person. One lured the gentleman
away from the house; another--possibly two--took care of the chappie at the place appointed by the first; and I rather think
it more than likely there was at least another who arranged the elaborate setting in Kaspar's room--but this is not necess'rily
correct, as any one of the three might have returned for the stage setting and been the person that Mrs. Kenting heard in
the bedroom."

"I see what you mean."
Markham nodded laboriously. "You're thinking of the two men whom McLaughlin saw in the car in the street here this morning."

"Oh, yes. Quite." Vance's
response was spoken casually. "They fit into the picture nicely. But neither of them was a small man, and I doubt if either
of them was the ladder-climber in the smallish Chinese sandals. Considerable evidence against that conclusion. That is why
I say I'm inclined to think that there may have been still another helper who attended to the details of the boudoir setting--makin'
four in all."

"But, good heavens!"
argued Markham; "if there were several persons involved in the affair, it may be just another gang kidnapping, after all."

"It's always possible,
of course, despite the contr'ry indications," Vance returned. "However, Markham, although I have said that there were undoubtedly
several persons taking part in the execution of the plot, I am thoroughly convinced there is only a single mind at work on
the case--the main organizing culprit, so to speak--some one who merely secured the necess'ry help--what the newspapers amusingly
designate as a master-mind. And the person who planned and manipulated this whole distressin' affair is some one who is quite
intimately au courant with the conditions in the Kenting house here. The various episodes have dovetailed together
far too neatly to have been managed by an outsider. And really, y' know, I hardly think that the Purple House harbors, or
is in any way related to, a professional kidnapper."

Markham shook his head
skeptically.

"Granting," he said,
"for the sake of hypothesis, that you are correct so far, what could have been the motive for such a dastardly act by any
one who was close to Kaspar?"

"Money--unquestionably
money," Vance ventured. "The exact amount named in the pretty little kindergarten paste-and-paper note attached to the window-sill.
. . . Oh, yes; that was a very significant item. Some one wishes the money immediately. It is urgently needed. I rather think
a genuine kidnapper--and especially a gang of kidnappers operating for themselves--would not have been so hasty in stating
the exact sum, but would have let that little detail wait until a satisfact'ry contact was established and negotiations were
definitely under way. And of course, if it had really been Kaspar who had abducted himself for the sake of the gain, the note
could be easily understood; but once we eliminate Kaspar as the author of this crime, then we are confronted with the necessity
of evolving an entirely new interpretation of the facts. The crime then becomes one of desperation and immediacy, with the
money as an imperative desideratum."

"I am not so sure you
are right this time, Vance," said Markham seriously.

Vance sighed.

"Neither am I, Markham
old dear." He went to the door and opened it. "Let's move along." And he walked up the hall.

Vance stopped at the
drawing-room door, bade the occupants a brief farewell; and a minute later we were descending the outside steps of the house
into the noonday sunshine of the street.

We entered the District
Attorney's car and drove toward Central Park. When we had almost reached the corner of Central Park West, Vance leaned forward
suddenly and, tapping the chauffeur on the shoulder, requested him to stop at the entrance to the Nottingham Hotel which we
were just passing.

"Really, y' know, Markham,"
he said as he stepped out of the car, "I think it might be just as well if we paid a little visit to the as-yet-unknown Mr.
Quaggy. Queer name--what? He was the last person known to have been with young Kaspar. He's a gentleman of means and a gentleman
of leisure, as well as a gentleman of nocturnal habits. He may be at home, don't y' know. . . . But I think we'd better go
directly to his apartment without apprising him of the visit by being announced." He turned to Heath. "I am sure you can manage
that, Sergeant,--unless you forgot to bring your pretty gilt badge with you this morning."

Heath snorted.

"Sure, we'll go right
to his rooms, if that's what you want, Mr. Vance. Don't you worry about that. This ain't the first time I've had to handle
these babies in a hotel."

Heath was as good as
his word. We had no difficulty in obtaining the number of Quaggy's apartment and being taken up in the elevator without an
announcement.

In answer to our ringing,
the door was opened by a generously proportioned colored woman, in a Hoover apron and an old stocking tied round her head.

"We want to see Mr.
Quaggy." Heath's manner was as intimidating as it was curt.

The negress looked frightened.

"I don't think Mr. Quaggy--"
she began in a tremulous voice.

"Never mind what you
think, Aunt Jemima." Heath cut her short. "Is your boss here, or isn't he?" He flashed his badge. "We're from the police."

"Yes, sir; yes, sir.
He's here." The woman was completely cowed by this time. "He's in the sittin'-room, over yonder."

The Sergeant brushed
past her to the archway at the end of the foyer, toward which she waved her arm. Markham, Vance and I followed him.

The room into which
we stepped was comfortably and expensively furnished, differing little from the conventional exclusive hotel-apartment living-room.
There was a mahogany cellarette near a built-in modern fireplace, comfortable overstuffed chairs covered with brocaded satin
that was almost colorless, a baby grand piano in one corner, two parchment-shaded table-lamps with green pottery bases, and
a small glass-doored Tudor bookcase filled with colorful assorted volumes. At the front end of the room were two windows facing
on the street, hung with heavy velour drapes and topped with scrolled-metal cornices.

As we entered, a haggard,
dissipated-looking man of about forty rose from a low lounging chair in one corner of the room. He seemed both surprised and
resentful at our intrusion. He was an attractive man, with finely chiseled features, but not a man whom one could call handsome.
He was unmistakably the gambler type--that is, the type one sees habitually at gaming houses and the race-track. There was
weariness and pallor in his face that morning, and his eyelids were œdematous and drawn down at the corners, like those
of a man suffering with Bright's disease. He was still in evening clothes, and his linen was the worse for wear. He wore patent
leather pumps which showed distinct traces of dried mud. Before he could speak Vance addressed him courteously.

"You will in a moment,
sir," Vance broke in ingratiatingly. And he introduced himself, as well as Markham and Heath and me. "We have just come from
the Kentings' down the street," he went on. "A calamity took place there early this morning, and we understand from Mrs. Kaspar
Kenting that Mr. Kenting was with you last night."

Quaggy's eyes narrowed
to mere slits. "Has anything happened to Kaspar?" he asked. He turned to the cellarette and poured himself a generous drink
of whiskey. He gulped it down and repeated his question.

"We'll get to that later,"
Vance replied. "Tell me, what time did you and Mr. Kenting get home last night?"

"Who said I was with
him when he came home?" The man was obviously on his guard.

"Mrs. Kenting informed
us that you and her husband went together to the opening of a casino in Jersey last night, and that Mr. Kenting returned somewhere
around three o'clock in the morning. Is that correct?"

The man hesitated.

"Even if it is true, what of
it?" he asked after a moment.

"Nothing--really nothing
of any importance," murmured Vance. "Just lookin' for information. I note you're still bedecked in your evenin' togs. And
your pumps are a bit muddy. It hasn't rained since yesterday, don't y' know. Offhand, I'd say you'd been sittin' up all night."

"Isn't that my privilege?"
grumbled the other.

"I think you'd better
do some straight talking, Mr. Quaggy," put in Markham angrily. "We're investigating a crime, and we haven't time to waste.
You'll save yourself a lot of trouble, too. Unless, of course, you're afraid of implicating yourself. In that event, I'll
allow you time to communicate with your attorney."

"Attorney hell!" snapped
Quaggy. "I don't need any lawyers. I've nothing to be afraid of, and I'll speak for myself. . . . Yes, I went with Kaspar
last night to the new casino in Paterson, and we got back, as Mrs. Kenting says, around three o'clock--"

"Did you go to the Kenting
house with Mr. Kenting?" asked Vance.

"No; our cab came down
Central Park West, and I got out here. I wish now I had gone with him. He asked me to--said he was worried as the devil about
something, and wanted to put me up for the night. I thought he was stewed, and didn't pay any attention to him. But after
he had gone on, I got to thinking about what he'd said--he's always getting into trouble of one kind or another--and I walked
down there about an hour later. But everything seemed all right. There was a light in Kaspar's room, and I merely figured
he hadn't gone to bed yet. So I decided not to disturb him."

Vance nodded understandingly.

"Did you, by any chance,
step into the side yard?"

"Just inside the gate,"
the other admitted.

"Was the side window
of his room open? And was the blind up?"

"The window might have
been open or shut, but the blind was down. I'm sure of that because the light was coming from around the edges."

"Did you see a ladder
anywhere in the court?"

"A ladder? No, there
was no ladder. What would a ladder be doing there?"

"Did you remain there
long, Mr. Quaggy?"

"No. I came back here
and had a drink."

"But you didn't go to
bed, I notice."

"It's every man's privilege
to sit up if he wants to, isn't it?" Quaggy asked coldly. "The truth is, I began to worry about Kaspar. He was in a hell of
a mood last night--all steamed up. I never saw him just that way before. To tell you the truth, I half expected something
to happen to him. That's why I went down to the house."

"Was it only Mr. Kaspar
Kenting that you were thinking about?" Vance inquired with a shrewd, fixed look. "I understand you're a close friend of the
family and are very highly regarded by Mrs. Kenting."

"Glad to know it," muttered
the man, meeting Vance's gaze squarely. "Madelaine is a very fine woman, and I should hate to see anything happen to her."

"Thanks awfully for
the information," murmured Vance. "I think I see your point of view perfectly. Well, your premonitions were quite accurate.
Something did happen to the young gentleman, and Mrs. Kenting is frightfully distressed."

"The hell you say!"
The man showed remarkable control and spoke without change of expression.

"Oh, yes--quite," Vance
said disinterestedly.

Quaggy went to the cellarette
again and poured himself another drink of whiskey. He offered the bottle to us all in general, and getting no response from
us, replaced it on the stand.

"When did this happen?"
he asked between swallows of the whiskey.

"Oh, early this morning
some time," Vance informed him. "That's why we're here. Thought maybe you could give us an idea or two."

Quaggy finished the
remainder of his glass of whiskey.

"Sorry, I can't help
you," he said as he put down the glass. "I've told you everything I know."

"That's frightfully
good of you," said Vance indifferently. "We may want to talk to you later, however."

"That's all right with
me." The man turned, without looking up from the liquor stand. "Ask me whatever you want whenever you damn please. But it
won't get you anywhere, for I've already told you all I know."

"Perhaps you'll recall
an additional item or two when you are rested."

Vance was at the archway
now, and I was just behind him. Markham and Heath had already preceded us. Vance paused for a moment and looked down at a
small conventional desk which stood near the entrance. Quickly he adjusted his monocle and scrutinized the desk. On it lay
a crumpled piece of tissue paper in the centre of which reposed two perfectly matched dark stones, with a remarkable play
of color in them--a pair of black opals!

When we were back in
the car and headed downtown, Markham, after a minute or two spent in getting his cigar going, said:

"Too many factors seem
to counteract your original theory, Vance. If this affair was plotted so carefully to be carried out at a certain time, how
do you account for the fact that Kaspar seemed to have a definite premonition of something dire and unforeseen happening to
him?"

"Premonition?" Vance
smiled slightly. "I'm afraid you're waxing esoteric, old dear. After Hannix's threat and after, perhaps, a bit of pressure
thrown in by the other gentleman to whom he owed money, Kaspar was naturally in a sensitive and worried state of mind. He
took their blustering, but harmless, talk too seriously. Suffered from fright and craved the comfort of company. Probably
why he went to the casino--trying to put his despondency out of mind. With the threats of the two creditors uppermost in his
consciousness, he used them as an argument with both his brother and Fleel. And his invitin' Quaggy home with him was merely
part of this perturbation. Simple. Very simple."

"You're still stubborn
enough to believe it had nothing to do with the facts of the case?" asked Markham irritably.

"Oh, yes, yes--quite,"
Vance replied cheerfully. "I can't see that his psychic warnings had anything whatsoever to do with what actually befell him
later. . . . By the by, Markham,"--Vance changed the subject--"there were two rather amazin' black opals on the desk in Quaggy's
apartment. Noticed them as I was going out."

"What's that!" Markham
turned in surprise. Then a look of understanding came into his eyes. "You think they came from the Kenting collection?"

"It's possible." Vance
nodded slowly. "The collection was quite deficient in black opals when I gazed upon it. The few remainin' specimens were quite
inferior. No self-respectin' connoisseur would have admitted them to his collection unless he already had more valuable ones
to offset them. Those that Quaggy had were undoubtedly a pair of the finest specimens from New South Wales."

"That puts a different
complexion on things," said Markham grudgingly. "How do you think Quaggy got hold of them?"

The next morning,
shortly before ten o'clock, Markham telephoned Vance at his apartment, and I answered.

"Tell Vance," came
the District Attorney's peremptory voice, "I think he'd better come down to my office at once. Fleel is here, and I'll keep
him engaged till Vance arrives."

I repeated the message
to Vance while I still held the receiver to my ear, and he nodded his head in agreement.

A few minutes later,
as we were about to leave the house, he became unduly serious.

"Van, it may have
happened already," he murmured, "though I really didn't expect it so soon. Thought we'd have at least a day or two before
the next move was made. However, we shall soon know."

We arrived at Markham's
office a half-hour later. Vance did not go to the secretary in the reception-room of the District Attorney's suite in the
old Criminal Courts Building, but through the private side door which led from the corridor into Markham's spacious sanctum.

Markham was seated
at his desk, looking decidedly troubled; and in a large upholstered chair before him sat Fleel.

After casual greetings
Markham announced: "The instructions promised in the ransom note have been received. A note came in Mr. Fleel's mail this
morning, and he brought it directly to me. I hardly know what to make of it, or how to advise him. But you seemed to have
ideas about the case which you would not divulge. And I think, therefore, you ought to see this note immediately, as it is
obvious something must be done about it at once." He picked up the small sheet of paper before him and held it out to Vance.
It was a piece of ruled note-paper, folded twice. The quality was of a very cheap, coarse nature, such as comes in thick tablets
which can be bought for a trifle at any stationer's. The writing on it was in pencil, in an obviously disguised handwriting.
Half of the letters were printed, and whether it was the composition of an illiterate person, or purposely designed to give
the impression of ignorance on the writer's part, I could not tell as I looked at it over Vance's shoulder.

Markham shot him a
shrewd look and handed him a stamped envelope, of no better quality than the paper, which had been slit neatly across the
top. The postmark showed that the note had passed through the post-office the previous afternoon at five o'clock from the
Westchester Station.

"And where might the
Westchester Station be?" asked Vance, sinking lazily into a chair and taking out a cigarette.

"I had it looked up
as soon as Mr. Fleel showed me the note," responded Markham. "It's in the upper Bronx."

"Interestin'," murmured
Vance. "'East Side, West Side, All Around the Town,' so to speak. . . . And what are the bound'ries of the district it serves?"

Markham glanced down
at the yellow pad on his desk.

"It takes in a section
of nine or ten square miles on the upper east side of the Bronx, between the Hutchinson and Bronx Rivers and a zigzag line
on the west boundary.[1] A lot of it is pretty desolate territory, and can probably be eliminated without consideration. As a matter of fact, it's
the toughest district in New York in which to trace any one by a postmark."

Sir: I no you and
famly have money and unless 50 thousand $[2] is placed in hole of oke tree 200 foot west of Southeast corner of old resivore in central park thursday at leven oclock
at nite we will kill Casper Kenton. This is finel. If you tell police deel is off and we will no it. We are watching every
move you make.

The ominous message
was signed with interlocking squares made with brush strokes, like those we had already seen on the ransom note found pinned
to the window-sill of the Kenting house.

"No more original
than the first communication," commented Vance dryly. "And it strikes me, offhand, that the person who worded this threatening
epistle is not as unschooled as he would have us believe. . . ."

He looked up at the
lawyer, who was watching him intently.

"Just what are your
ideas on the situation, Mr. Fleel?" he asked.

"Personally," the
man said, "I am willing to leave the whole matter to Mr. Markham here, and his advisors. I--I don't know exactly what to say--I'd
rather not offer any suggestions. The ransom demands can't possibly be met out of the estate, as what funds were entrusted
to me are largely in long-term bonds. However, I feel sure that Mr. Kenyon Kenting will be able to get the necessary amount
together and take care of the situation--if that is his wish. The decision, naturally, must be left entirely up to him."

"Does he know of this
note?" asked Vance.

Fleel shook his head
in negation.

"Not yet," he said,
"unless he, too, received a copy. I brought this one immediately to Mr. Markham. But my opinion is that Kenyon should know
about it, and it was my intention to go to the Kenting house from here and inform Kenyon of this new development. He is not
at his office this morning, and I imagine he is spending the day with Mrs. Kenting. I'll do nothing, however, without the
consent of Mr. Markham." He looked toward the District Attorney as if he expected an answer to his remark.

Markham had risen,
and now moved toward one of the windows which looked out into Franklin Street and over the grey walls of the Tombs. His hands
were clasped behind him, and an unlighted cigar hung listlessly from his lips. It was Markham's characteristic attitude when
he was making an important decision. After a while he turned, came back to the desk, and reseated himself.

"Mr. Fleel," he said
slowly, "I think you should go to Kenyon Kenting at once, and tell him the exact circumstances." There was a hesitant note
in his words, as if he had reached a decision but was uncertain as to the feasibility of its logical application.

"I'm glad you feel
that way, Mr. Markham," the lawyer said, "for I certainly believe that he is entitled to know. After all, if a decision is
to be made regarding the money, he must be the one to make it." He rose as he spoke, taking his hat from the floor beside
him. With ponderous steps he moved toward the door.

"I quite agree with
you both," murmured Vance, who was drawing vigorously on his cigarette and looking straight before him into space. "Only,
I would ask you, Mr. Fleel, to remain at the Kenting house until Mr. Markham and I arrive there. We will be joining you very
soon."

"I'll wait," mumbled
Fleel as he passed through the swinging leather door out to the reception-room.

Vance settled back
in his chair, stretched out his long legs, and gazed dreamily through the window. Markham watched him expectantly for some
time without speaking. At last it seemed that he could bear the silence no longer, and he asked anxiously:

"Well, to be more
specific," Markham went on, endeavoring to control his rising anger, "what do you think of that note you have there?"

"Quite authentic--oh,
quite," Vance returned without hesitation. "As I said, the money is passionately desired. Hasty business is afoot. A bit too
precipitate for my liking, however. But there's no overlooking the earnestness of the request. I've a feelin' something must
be done without loss of time."

"The instructions
seem somewhat vague."

"No. Oh, no, Markham.
On the contr'ry. Quite explicit. I know the tree well. Romantic lovers leave billets-doux there. No difficulties in
that quarter. Quiet spot. All approaches visible. As good a crossroads as any for the transaction of dirty work. However,
it could be adequately covered by the police. I wonder. . . ."

Markham was silent
for a long time, smoking intently, his brow deeply corrugated.

"This situation upsets
me," he rumbled at length. "The newspapers were full of it this morning, as you may have noticed. The police are being condemned
for refusing information to the federal boys. Maybe it would have been best if I had washed my hands of it all in the first
place. I don't like it--it's poison. And there's nothing to go on. I was trusting, as usual, to your impressions."

"Let us not repine,
Markham old dear," Vance encouraged him. "It was only yesterday the bally thing happened."

"But I must get some
action," Markham asserted, striking his clenched fist on the desk. "This new note changes the whole complexion of things."

"Tut, tut." Vance's
admonition was almost frivolous. "Really, y' know, it changes nothing. It was precisely what I was waitin' for."

"Well," snapped Markham,
"now that you have it, what do you intend to do?"

Vance looked at the
District Attorney in mock surprise.

"Why, I intend to
go to the Purple House," he said calmly. "I'm not psychic, but something tells me we shall find a hand pointin' to our future
activities when we arrive there."

"Merely wished to
give him sufficient time to break the news to the others and to discuss the matter with brother Kenyon." Vance expelled a
series of smoke rings toward the chandelier. "Nothing like letting every one know the details of the case. We'll get forrader
that way."

Markham half closed
his eyes and regarded Vance appraisingly.

"You think, perhaps,"
he asked, "that Kenyon Kenting is going to try to raise the money and meet the demands of that outrageous note?"

"It's quite possible,
don't y' know. And I rather think he'll want the police to give him a free hand. Anyway, it's time we were toddlin' out and
ascertainin'." Vance struggled to his feet and adjusted his Bangkok hat carefully. "Could you bear to come along, Markham?"

Markham pressed a
buzzer under the ledge of his desk and gave various instructions to the secretary who answered his call.

"This thing is too
important," he said as he turned back to Vance. "I'm joining you." He glanced at his watch. "My car is downstairs."

And we went out through
the private office and judges' chambers and descended in the special elevator.

[1]The Westchester Station of
the Post-Office Department, situated at 1436 Williamsbridge Road, at the intersection of East Tremont Avenue, collects and
delivers mail in the following territory, starting from Paulding Avenue and Pelham Parkway: South side of Pelham Parkway to
Kingsland Avenue; to Mace Avenue; to Wickham Avenue; to Gunhill Road; to Bushnell Avenue; to Hutchinson River; west side of
Hutchinson River to Givans Creek; to Eastchester Bay; to Long Island Sound; to Bronx River; to Ludlow Avenue (now known as
Eastern Boulevard); to Pugsley Avenue; to McGraw Avenue; to Storrow Street; to Unionport Road; to East Tremont Avenue; to
Bronxdale Avenue; to Van Nest Avenue; to Paulding Avenue; to Pelham Parkway.

At the Kenting residence
we found Kenyon Kenting, Fleel, young Falloway, and Porter Quaggy assembled in the drawing-room. They all seemed solemn and
tense, and greeted us with grave restraint that suited the occasion.

"Did you bring the
note with you, gentlemen?" Kenting asked immediately, with frightened eagerness. "Fleel told me just what's in it, but I'd
like to see the message itself."

Vance nodded and took
the note from his pocket, placing it on the small desk near him.

"It's the usual thing,"
he said. "I doubt if you'll find any more in it than Mr. Fleel has reported to you."

Kenting, without a
word, bustled across the room, took the folded piece of paper from its envelope, and read it carefully as he smoothed it out
on the green blotting pad.

"What do you think
should be done about it?" Markham asked him. "Personally, I'm not inclined to have you meet that demand just yet."

Kenting shook his
head in perturbed silence. At last he said:

"I'd always feel guilty
and selfish if I did anything else. If I didn't comply with this request and anything should really happen to Kaspar--"

He left the sentence
unfinished as he turned and rested against the edge of the desk, looking dolefully down at the floor.

"But I've no idea
exactly how I'm going to raise that much money--and at such short notice. It'll pretty well break me, even if I can manage
to get it together."

"I can help contribute
to the fund," offered Quaggy, in a hard tone, looking up from his chair in the shadows of the room.

"And I'd like to do
something, too," put in Fleel, "but, as you know, my personal funds are pretty well depleted at this time. As a trustee of
the Kenting estate I couldn't use that money for such a purpose without a court order. And I couldn't get one in such a limited
time."

Fraim Falloway stood
back against the wall, listening intently. A half-smoked cigarette drooped limply between his thick, colorless lips.

"Why don't you let
it go?" he suggested, with malicious querulousness. "Kaspar's not worth that much money to any one, if you ask me. And how
do you know you're going to save his life, anyway?"

Young Falloway shrugged
indifferently and said nothing. The ashes from his cigarette fell over his shiny black suit, but he did not take the trouble
to brush them off.

"I say, Mr. Fleel,"
put in Vance, "just what would be the financial standing of Mrs. Kenting in the hypothetical case that Kaspar Kenting should
die? Would she benefit by his demise--that is, to whom would Kaspar Kenting's share in the estate go?"

"To his wife," answered
Fleel. "It was so stipulated in Karl Kenting's will, although he did not know Mrs. Kenting at the time, as Kaspar was not
yet married. But the will clearly states that his share of the inheritance should go to his wife if he were married and she
survived him."

"Sure," said Fraim
Falloway sulkily, "my sister gets everything, and there are no strings attached to it. Kaspar has never done the right thing
by Sis, anyway, and it's about time she was coming in for something. That's why I say it's rank nonsense to give up all this
money to get Kaspar back. Nobody here thinks he's worth fifty cents, if they'll be frank."

"A sweet and lovable
point of view," murmured Vance. "I suppose your sister is very lenient with you whenever possible?"

It was Kenyon Kenting
who answered.

"That's it exactly,
Mr. Vance. She's the kind that would sacrifice everything for her brother and her mother. That's natural, perhaps. But, after
all, Kaspar is my brother, and I think something ought to be done about it, even on the mere chance it may save him,
if it does take practically every cent I've got in the world. But I'm willing to go through with it, if you gentlemen
and the police will agree to keep entirely out of it, until I have found out what I can do without any official assistance
which might frighten off the kidnappers."

He looked at Markham
apologetically and then added:

"You see, I discussed
the point with Mr. Fleel just before you gentlemen arrived. We are agreed that the police should allow me a clear field in
handling this matter in exact accordance with the instructions in the note; for if it is true, don't you see, that the kidnappers
are watching my moves, and if they so much as suspect that the police are waiting for them, they may not act at all, and Kaspar
would still remain in jeopardy."

Markham nodded thoughtfully.

"I can understand
your attitude in the matter, Mr. Kenting," he said reassuringly. "And therefore,"--he made a suave gesture--"the decision
on that point must rest solely with you. The police will turn their backs, as it were, for the time being, if that is what
you wish."

Fleel nodded his approval
of Markham's words.

"If Kenyon is financially
able to go through with it," he said, "I feel that that course is the wisest one to follow. Even if it means shutting our
eyes momentarily to the legal issues of the situation, he may have a better chance of having his brother safely returned.
And that, after all, I am sure you will all agree, is the prime consideration in the present instance."

Vance had, to all
appearances, been ignoring this brief discussion, but I knew, from the slow and deliberate movement of his hand as he smoked,
that he was absorbing with interest every word spoken. At this point he rose to his feet and entered the conversation with
a curious finality.

"I think," he began,
"both of you gentlemen are in error, and I am definitely opposed to the withdrawal of the authorities, even temporarily, at
this time in such a vital situation. It would amount to the compounding of a felony. Moreover, the reference in the note regarding
the police is, I believe, merely an attempt at intimidation. I can see no valid reason why the police should not be permitted
a certain discreet activity in the matter." His voice was firm and bitter and carried a stinging rebuke to both Kenting and
Fleel.

Markham remained silent
when Vance had finished, for I am convinced he felt, as I did, that Vance's remarks were based on a subtle and definite motivation.
They had their effect on Kenting as well, for it was obvious that he was definitely wavering. And even Fleel seemed to be
considering the point anew.

"You may be right,
Mr. Vance," Kenting admitted finally in a hesitant tone. "On second thought, I am inclined to follow your suggestion."

"You're all stupid,"
mumbled Falloway. Then he leaned forward. His eyes opened wide, his jowls sagged and he burst forth hysterically: "It's Kaspar,
Kaspar, Kaspar! He's no good anyway, and he's the only one that gets a break around here. Nobody thinks of any one
else but Kaspar. . . ." His voice was high-pitched and ended in a scream.

"Shut up, you ninny,"
ordered Kenting. "What are you doing down here, anyway? Go on up to your room."

Falloway sneered without
replying, walked across the room, and threw himself into a large upholstered chair by the window.

"Well, what's the
decision, gentlemen?" asked Markham, in a calm, quiet tone. "Are we to go ahead on the basis of your paying the ransom alone,
or shall I turn the case over to the Police Department to handle as they see fit?"

Kenting stood up and
took a deep breath.

"I think I'll go down
to my office now," he said wearily, "and try to raise the cash." Then he added to Markham, "And I think the police had better
go ahead with the case." He turned quickly to Fleel with an interrogative look.

"I'm sorry I can't
advise you, Kenyon," the lawyer said in answer to Kenting's unstated question. "It's a damned difficult problem on which to
offer positive advice. But if you decide to take this step, I think I should leave the details in the hands of Mr. Markham.
If I can be of any help--"

"Oh, don't worry,
Fleel, I'll get in touch with you." Kenting turned to the dark corner of the room. "And thank you, Quaggy, for your kindness;
but I think I can handle the situation without your assistance, though we all appreciate your generous offer."

Markham was evidently
becoming impatient.

"I will be at my office,"
he said, "until five o'clock this afternoon. I'll expect you to communicate with me before that time, Mr. Kenting."

"Oh, I will--without
fail," returned Kenting, with a mirthless laugh. "I'll be there in person, if I can possibly manage it." With a listless wave
of the hand, he went from the room and out the front door.

Fleel followed a few
moments later, but Fraim Falloway still sat brooding sneeringly by the window.

Quaggy rose from his
chair and confronted Markham.

"I think I'll remain
a while," he said, "and speak to Mrs. Kenting."

"Oh, by all means,"
agreed Vance. "I'm sure the young woman needs cheering up." He went to the desk, refolded the note carefully, and, placing
it in its envelope, slipped it into an inside pocket. Then he motioned to Markham, and we went out into the sultry summer
noon.

When we were back
at the District Attorney's office, Markham sent immediately for Heath. As soon as the Sergeant arrived from Centre Street,
a short time later, the situation was outlined to him, and he was shown the letter which Fleel had received. He read the note
hastily and looked up.

"If you ask me, I
wouldn't give those babies a nickel," he commented gruffly. "But if this fellow Kenyon Kenting insists, I suppose we'll have
to let him do it. Too much responsibility in tryin' to stop him."

"Exactly," assented
Markham emphatically. "Do you know where this particular tree is in Central Park, Sergeant?"

"Hah!" Heath said
explosively. "I've seen it so often, I'm sick of lookin' at it. But it's not a bad location, at that. It's near the traffic
lanes, and you can see in all directions from there."

"Could you and the
boys cover it," asked Markham, "in case Mr. Kenting does go through with this and we decide it would be best to have the spot
under surveillance?"

"Leave that to me,
Chief," the Sergeant returned confidently. "There's lots of ways of doing it. Searchlights from the houses along Fifth Avenue
could light up the place like daytime when we're ready. And some of the boys hiding in taxicabs, or even up the tree itself,
could catch the baby who takes the money and tie him up in bow-knots."

"On the other hand,
Sergeant," Markham demurred, "it might be better to let the ransom money go, so we can get young Kenting back--that is, if
the abductors are playing straight."

"Playing straight!"
Heath repeated with contempt. "Say, Chief, did you ever know any of these palookas to be on the level? I says, let's catch
the guy who comes after the money, and we'll give him the works at Headquarters and turn him inside out. There won't be nothing
we won't know when the boys get through shellackin' him. Then we can save the money and get this no-good Kaspar back for 'em,
and round up the sweet little darlings who done it--all at the same time."

Vance was smiling
musingly during this optimistic prophecy of future events. In the pause that followed Heath's last words he spoke.

"Really, y' know,
Sergeant, I think you're going to be disappointed. This case isn't as simple as you and Mr. Markham think. . . ." The Sergeant
started to protest, but Vance continued. "Oh, yes. Quite. You may round up somebody, but I doubt if you will ever be able
to connect your victim with the kidnapping. Somehow, don't y' know, I can't take this illiterate note too seriously. I have
an idea it is designed to throw us off the track. Still, the experiment may be interestin'. Fact is, I'd be overjoyed to participate
in it myself."

"That's all right
with me, Mr. Vance," he said. "There'll be plenty of time for that."

(I knew that the Sergeant
wished Vance to take this strategic position in the tree, for despite Vance's constant good-natured spoofing and his undisguised
contempt for Heath's routine procedure, the Sergeant had a great admiration and fondness for, not to say a profound faith
in, the debonair man before him.)

"That's bully, Sergeant,"
commented Vance. "What would you suggest as an appropriate costume?"

"Try rompers!" retorted
Heath. "But make 'em a dark color." With a snort he turned to Markham. "When will we know about the final decision, Chief?"

"Kenting is going
to communicate with me sometime before I leave the office today."

"Swell," said Heath
heartily. "That'll give us plenty of time to make our arrangements."

It was four o'clock
that afternoon when Kenyon Kenting arrived. Vance, eager to be on hand for anything new that might develop, had waited in
Markham's office, and I stayed with him. Kenting had a large bundle of $100 bills with him, and threw it down on Markham's
desk with a disgruntled air of finality.

"There's the money,
Mr. Markham," he said. "Fifty thousand good American dollars. It has completely impoverished me. It took everything I owned.
. . . How do you suggest we go about it?"

Markham took the money
and placed it in one of the drawers of his steel filing cabinet.

"I'll give the matter
careful consideration," he answered. "And I'll get in touch with you later."

"I'm willing to leave
everything to you," Kenting said with relief.

There was little more
talk of any importance, and finally Kenting left the office with Markham's promise to communicate with him within two or three
hours.

Heath, who had gone
out earlier in the afternoon, came in shortly, and the matter was discussed pro and con. The plan eventually agreed on was
that Heath should have his searchlights focused on the tree and ready to be flashed on at a given signal; and that three or
four men of the Homicide Bureau should be on the ground and available at a moment's notice. Vance and I, fully armed, were
to perch in the upper branches of the tree.

Vance remained silent
during the discussion, but at length he said in his lazy drawl:

"I think your plans
are admirable, Sergeant, but I really see no necessity of actually plantin' the money. Any package of the same size would
answer the purpose just as well, don't y' know. And notify Fleel: I think he would be the best man to place the package in
the tree for us."

Heath nodded.

"That's the idea,
sir. Exactly what I was thinking. . . . And now I think I'd better be running along--or toddlin', as you would say--and get
busy."

Vance and Markham
and I had dinner at the Stuyvesant Club that night. I had accompanied Vance home where he changed to a rough tweed suit. He
had had little to say after we had left Markham's office at five o'clock. All the details for the night's project had been
arranged.

Vance was in a peculiar
mood. I felt he ought to be taking the matter more seriously, but he appeared only a little puzzled, as if the situation was
not clear in his mind. He did not exhibit the slightest apprehension, however, although as we were about to leave the apartment
he handed me a .45-automatic. When I put it in my outside coat pocket, where it would be handy, he shook his head whimsically
and smiled.

"No call for so much
precaution, Van. Put it in your trousers pocket and forget it. As a matter of fact, I'm not even sure it's loaded. I'm taking
one myself, but only to humor the Sergeant. I haven't the groggiest notion what's goin' to happen, but I can assure you there
will be no necessity for a display of fireworks. The doughty Sergeant's pre-arranged melodrama is bally nonsense."

I protested that kidnappers
were dangerous people, and that ransom notes with orders of the kind that Fleel had brought to the District Attorney's office
were not to be taken too lightly.

Vance smiled cryptically.

"Oh, I'm not takin'
it lightly," he said. "But I'm quite sure that note need not be taken at its face value. And sittin' on the limb of a tree
indefinitely is not what I should call a jolly evening's sport. . . . However," he added, "we may learn something enlightenin',
even if we don't have the opportunity to embrace the person accountable for Kaspar's disappearance."

He slipped the gun
in his pocket, buttoned the flap, and arranged his clothes more comfortably. Then he donned a soft, black Homburg hat and
went to the door.

"Allons-y!"

At eight o'clock we
found Markham waiting at the Stuyvesant Club. He seemed perturbed and nervous, and Vance attempted to cheer him. In the dining-room
Vance had some difficulties with his order. He asked for the most exotic dishes, none of which was available, and finally
compromised on tournedos de bœuf and pommes de terre soufflées. He had a long discussion with the sommelier
regarding the wine, and he lingered over his crêpes suzettes after having explained elaborately to the waiter just
how he wished them made. During the meal he was in a gay humor and refused to react to Markham's sombre mood. As a matter
of fact, his conversation was limited almost entirely to the types and qualities of the two-year-old horses that year had
produced and of their chances in the Hopeful Stakes.

We had finished our
dinner and were having our coffee in the lounge, shortly before ten o'clock, when Sergeant Heath joined us and reported the
arrangements he had made.

"Well, everything's
been fixed, Chief," he announced proudly. "I got four powerful searchlights in the apartment house on Fifth Avenue, just opposite
the tree. They'll all go on when I give the signal."

"What signal, Sergeant?"
asked Markham anxiously.

"That was easy, Chief,"
Heath explained with satisfaction. "I had a red electric flood-light put on a traffic-light post on the north-bound road near
the tree, and when I switch that on, with a traveling switch I'll have in my pocket, that will be the signal."

"What else, Sergeant?"

"Well, sir, I got
three guys in taxicabs stationed along Fifth Avenue, all dressed up like chauffeurs, and they'll swing into the park at the
same time the searchlights go on. I got a couple of taxicabs at every entrance on the east side of the park that'll plug up
the place good and tight; and I also got a bunch of innocent-looking family cars running along the east and west roads every
two or three minutes. On top of that, you can't stop people strolling in the park--there's always a bunch of lovers moving
around in the evening--but this time it ain't gonna be only lovers on the path by that tree--there's gonna be some tough babies
too. We'll stroll back and forth down the east lane ourselves where we can see the tree; and Mr. Vance and Mr. Van Dine will
be up in the branches--which are pretty thick at this time of year, and will make good cover. . . . I don't see how the guys
can get away from us, unless they're mighty slick." He chuckled and turned to Vance. "I don't think there'll be much for you
two to do, sir, except lookin' on from a ringside seat."

"Don't worry about that,
sir. I got that all fixed too." The Sergeant's voice, though serious and earnest, exuded pride. "I had a talk with Fleel,
like Mr. Vance suggested, and he's gonna put it in the tree a little while before eleven. And it's a swell package. Exactly
the size and weight of that bunch of greenbacks Kenting brought to your office this afternoon."

"What about Kenting himself?"

"He's meeting us at
half-past ten, and so is Fleel, in the superintendent's room at the new yellow brick apartment house on Fifth Avenue. I gave
'em both the number, and you can bet your sweet life they'll be there. . . . Don't you think Mr. Vance and Mr. Van Dine had
better be gettin' themselves fixed in the tree pretty pronto?"

It seemed to me that
he was still treating the matter like an unnecessary farce.

Vance dismissed our
taxicab at the corner of 83rd Street and Fifth Avenue, and we continued northward on foot to the pedestrians' entrance to
the park. As we walked along without undue haste, a chauffeur from a near-by taxi jumped to the sidewalk with alacrity and,
overtaking us, stepped leisurely in front of us across our path. I immediately recognized Snitkin in the old tan duster and
chauffeur's cap. He apparently took no notice of us but must have recognized Vance, for he turned back, and when I looked
over my shoulder a moment later, he had returned to the cab and taken his place again at the wheel.

It was a warm, sultry
night, and I confess I felt a certain tinge of excitement as we walked slowly down the winding flagged pathway southward.
There were several couples seated in the dark benches along the pathway, and an occasional shambling pedestrian. I looked
at all of them closely, trying to determine their status, and wondering if they were sinister figures who might have some
connection with the kidnapping. Vance paid no attention to them. His eyebrows were lifted cynically, and his surroundings
seemed not to interest him at all.

"What a silly adventure,"
he murmured as he took my arm and led me due west into a narrow footpath toward a clump of oak trees, silhouetted against
the silvered waters of the reservoir beyond. "Still, who can prophesy? One can never tell what may happen in this fickle world.
One never knows, y' know. Maybe when you get atop your favorite limb in the tree you'd better shift your automatic. And I
think I'll unbutton the flap on my hip pocket."

This was the first
indication Vance had given that he attached any importance to the matter.

Far across the park
the gaunt structures on Central Park West loomed against the dark blue western sky, and the lights in the windows suddenly
seemed unusually friendly to me.

Vance led the way
across a wide stretch of lawn to a large oak tree whose size set it apart from the others. It stood in comparative darkness,
at least fifty feet from the nearest dimly flickering electric light.

"Well, here we are,
Van," he announced in a low voice. "Now for the fun--if you regard emulating the sparrow as fun. . . . I'll go up first. Find
yourself a limb where you won't be exposed, but where you can see pretty well all around you through the leaves."

He paused a moment,
and then reaching upward to one of the lower branches of the tree, he pulled himself up easily. I saw him stand up on the
branch, reach over his head to the next one, and draw himself up again. In a moment he had disappeared among the black foliage.

I followed at once,
although I had not the skill he displayed--in fact, I had to sit down astride the lower limb for a moment or two before I
could work myself upward into the outspreading branches. It was very dark, and I had difficulty keeping a sure foothold while
I gave my attention to climbing higher. At last I found a fork-shaped limb on which I could establish myself with more or
less comfort, and from which I could see, through various narrow openings in the leaves, in nearly all directions. After a
few moments I heard Vance's voice at my left--he was evidently on the other side of the broad trunk.

"Well, well," he drawled.
"What an experience! I thought my boyhood days were over. And there's not an apple on the tree. No, not so much as a cherry.
A pillow would be most comfortin'."

We had been sitting
in silence in our precarious seclusion for about ten minutes when a corpulent figure, which I recognized as Fleel, came into
sight on the pathway to the left. He stood irresolutely opposite the tree for several moments and looked about him. Then he
strolled along the footpath, across the greensward, and approached the tree. If any one had been watching, Fleel must certainly
have been observed, for he chose a moment when there was no other person visible within a considerable radius of him.

He paused beneath
where I sat twelve or fourteen feet above him, and ran his hand around the trunk of the tree until he found the large irregular
hole on the east side; then he took a package from under his coat. The package was about ten inches long and four inches square,
and he inserted it slowly and carefully into the hole. Backing away, he ostentatiously relighted his cigar, tossed the burnt
match-end aside, and walked slowly toward the west, to another pathway at least a hundred yards away.

At that moment I happened
to glance toward the narrow path by which we had entered the park and, by the light from a passing car, I suddenly noticed
a shabbily dressed man leaning lazily against a bench in the shadows and evidently watching Fleel as he moved away in the
distance. After a few moments I saw the same man step out from the darkness, stretch his arms, and move along the pathway
to the north.

"My word!" muttered
Vance in the darkness, in a low, guarded tone, "the assiduous Fleel has been observed--which is probably what the Sergeant
wished. If everything moves according to schedule we shouldn't have to cling here precariously for more than fifteen minutes
longer. I do hope the abductor or his agent is a prompt chappie. I'm gettin' jolly well worn out."

It was, in fact, less
than ten minutes later that I saw a figure moving toward us from the north. No one had passed along that little-known, illy-lighted
pathway since we had taken our places in the tree. At each succeeding light I picked out an additional detail of the approaching
figure: a long dark cape which seemed to trail on the ground; a curious toque-shaped, dark hat, with a turned-down visor extending
far over the eyes; and a slim walking-stick.

I felt an involuntary
tightening of my muscles: I was not only expectant, but half frightened. Holding tightly with my left hand to the branch on
which I was sitting, I reached into my coat pocket and fingered the butt of the automatic, to make sure that it was handy.

"How positively thrillin'!"
I heard Vance whisper, though his voice did not sound in the least excited. "This may be the culprit we're waitin' for. But
what in the world will we do with him when we catch him? If only he wouldn't walk so deuced slowly."

As a matter of fact,
the dark-caped figure was moving at a most deliberate gait, pausing frequently to look right and left, as if sizing up the
situation in all directions. It was impossible to tell whether the figure was stout or thin, because of the flowing cape.
It was a sinister-looking form, moving along in the semidarkness, and cast a grotesque shadow on the path as it proceeded
toward us. Its gait was so dilatory and cautious that a chill ran over me as I watched--it was like a mysterious nemesis,
imperceptibly but inevitably creeping up on us.

"A purely fictional
character," murmured Vance. "Only Eugène Sue could have thought of it. I do hope this tree is its destination. That would
be most fittin'--eh, what?"

The shapeless form
was now opposite us and, halting ominously, looked in our direction. Then it peered forward up the narrow winding path and
backward along the route it had come. After a few moments the black form turned and approached the cluster of oak trees. Its
progress over the lawn was even slower than on the cement walk. It seemed an interminable time before the dim shape reached
the tree in which Vance and I were perched, and I could feel cold chills running up and down my spine. The figure was there
beneath the branches, and stood several feet from the trunk, turning and gazing in all directions.

Then, as if with a
burst of vigor, the cloaked form stepped toward the natural cache on the east side of the trunk and, fumbling round a moment
or two, withdrew the package that Fleel had placed there a quarter of an hour earlier.

I glanced apprehensively
at the red flood-light on the lamppost Heath had described to us, and saw it flash on and off like a grotesquely winking monster.
Suddenly there were wide shafts of white light from the direction of Fifth Avenue splitting the gloom; and the whole tree
and its immediate environs were flooded with brilliant illumination. For a moment I was blinded by the glare, but I could
hear a bustle of activity all about us. Then came Vance's startled and awestruck voice somewhere at my left.

"Oh, my word!" he
exclaimed over and over again; and there was the sound of his scrambling down the tree. At length I saw him swing from the
lower limb and drop gracefully to the ground, like a well balanced pole-vaulter.

Everything seemed
to happen simultaneously. Markham and Fleel and Kenyon Kenting came rushing across the eastern lawn, preceded by Heath and
Sullivan.[1] The two detectives were the first to reach the spot, and they grasped the black-clad figure just as it straightened up to
move away from the tree. Each man had an arm tight in his clasp, and escape was impossible.

"Pretty nice work,"
Heath sang out with satisfaction, just as I reached the ground and took a tighter hold on my automatic. Vance brushed by me
from around the tree and stood directly in front of Heath.

As he spoke, two taxicabs
swung crazily along the pedestrian walk on the left with a continuous shrill blowing of horns. They came to a jerky stop with
a tremendous clatter and squeaking of brakes. Then the two chauffeurs leaped out of the cabs and came rushing to the scene
with sub-machine guns poised ominously before them.

Heath and Sullivan
looked at Vance in angry amazement.

"Step back, Sergeant,"
Vance commanded. "You're far too rough. I'll handle this situation." Something in his voice overrode Heath's zeal--there was
no ignoring the authority his words carried. Both Heath and Sullivan released their hold on the silent figure between them
and took a backward step, bumping unseeingly into the startled group formed by Markham, Fleel and Kenting behind them.

The apprehended culprit
did not move, except to reach up and push back the visor of the toque cap, revealing the face in the glare of the searchlights.

There before us, leaning
weakly and shakily on a straight snakewood stick, the package of false bank notes still clutched tightly in the left hand,
was the benign, yet cynical, Mrs. Andrews Falloway. Her face showed no trace of fear or of agitation. In fact, there was an
air of calm satisfaction in her somewhat triumphant gaze.

In her deep, cultured
voice she said, as if exchanging pleasantries with some one at an afternoon tea:

"How are you, Mr.
Vance?" A slight smile played over her features.

"I am quite well,
thank you, Mrs. Falloway," Vance returned suavely, with a courteous bow; "although I must admit the rough limb which I chose
in the dark was a bit sharp and uncomfortable."

"Truly I am desolated,
Mr. Vance." The woman was still smiling.

Just then a slender
form skulked swiftly across the lawn from the near-by path and, without a word, joined the group directly behind the woman.
It was Fraim Falloway. His expression was both puzzled and downcast. Vance threw him a quick glance, but took no more notice
of him. His mother must have seen him out of the corner of her eye, but she showed no indication that she was aware of her
son's presence.

"I at least found
it very profitable," the woman answered with a hardening voice. As she spoke she held out the package. "Here's the bundle--containing
money, I believe--which I found in the hole of the tree. You know," she added lightly, "I'm getting rather old for lovers'
trysts. Don't you think so?"

Vance took the package
and threw it to Heath who caught it with automatic dexterity. The Sergeant, as well as the rest of the group, was looking
on in stupefied astonishment at the strange and unexpected little drama.

"I am sure you will
never be too old for lovers' trysts," murmured Vance gallantly.

"You're an outrageous
flatterer, Mr. Vance," smiled the woman. "Tell me, what do you really think of me after this little--what shall we call it?--escapade
tonight?"

Vance looked at her,
and his light cynical expression quickly changed to one of solemnity.

"I think you're a
very loyal mother," he said in a low voice, his eyes fixed on the woman. Quickly his mood changed again. "But, really, y'
know, it's dampish, and far too late for you to walk home." Then he looked at the gaping Heath. "Sergeant, can either of your
pseudo-chauffeurs drive his taxi with a modicum of safety?"

"Sure they can," stammered
Heath. "Snitkin was a private chauffeur for years before he took up police work." (I now noticed that one of the two men who
had dashed across the lawn with the sub-machine guns, which they had now lowered in utter astonishment, was the same driver
who had crossed in front of us as we entered the park.)

"That's bully--what?"
said Vance. He moved to Mrs. Falloway's side and offered her his arm. "May I have the pleasure of taking you home?"

The woman took his
arm without hesitation.

"You're very chivalrous,
Mr. Vance, and I would appreciate the courtesy."

Vance started across
the lawn with the woman.

"Come, Snitkin," he
called peremptorily, and the detective walked swiftly to his cab and opened the door. A moment later they were headed toward
the main traffic artery which leads to Central Park West.

[1]A detective of the Homicide Bureau who participated in nearly all of Vance's
criminal investigations.

CHAPTER XI

ANOTHER EMPTY ROOM

(Thursday, July
21; 11:10 p.m.)

It was but a short
time before the rest of us started for the Kenting house. As soon as Snitkin had driven off with Vance and Mrs. Falloway,
Heath began to dash around excitedly, giving innumerable brusque orders to Burke,[1] who came ambling toward us across the narrow path from the east. When he had made all his arrangements, he walked to the
wide lane where the second taxicab still stood. This cab, I noticed, was manned by the diminutive Guilfoyle,[2] one of the two "chauffeurs" who came to the tree with sub-machine guns, ready for action.

Markham, Fleel and
young Falloway got into the back seat of the cab; Kenting and I took our places on the two small folding seats forward in
the tonneau; and the Sergeant crowded into the front of the cab with Guilfoyle. When the doors were shut Guilfoyle drove off
rapidly toward the main roadway on the west side of the park. Nothing was said on that short ride. Every one, it seemed, was
too dumbfounded to make any comment on the unexpected outcome of the night's adventure.

Markham sat stiffly
upright, looking out of the window, a dark frown on his face. Fleel leaned back more comfortably against the cushions in silence,
staring straight ahead but apparently seeing nothing. Fraim Falloway crouched morosely in the corner of the seat, with his
hat pulled far down over his eyes, his face a puzzled mask; and when I offered him a cigarette he seemed utterly oblivious
to my gesture. Once or twice on the way to his home he uttered a cackling, breathless chuckle, as if at some thought that
had flashed through his mind. Kenyon Kenting, sitting at my left, seemed weary and distressed, and bent forward with his elbows
on his knees, his head bowed in his hands.

Through the plate-glass
panel in front of me, I could see the Sergeant bobbing up and down with the motion of the cab, and shifting his cigar angrily
from one side of his mouth to the other. Occasionally he turned to Guilfoyle, and I could see his lips move, but I could hear
nothing over the hum of the motor; then he would resume his dour and bitter silence. It was obvious he was deeply disappointed
and believed all his plans had gone awry for some reason he could not figure out.

After all, the whole
incident that night had been unexpected and amazing. I tried to reason out what had happened, but could not fit any of the
known factors together, and finally gave the matter up. The climax of the episode was the last thing I could possibly have
dreamed of, and I am sure the others felt the same way about it. If no one had come to the tree for the package of supposed
bank notes, it would have been easily understandable, but the fact that a crippled old woman had turned out to be the collector
of the money was as astonishing as it was incredible. And, to add to every one's perplexity, there was Vance's attitude toward
her--which was perhaps the most astounding thing of all.

Where had been the
person who sent the note? And then I suddenly remembered the shabby man who had been leaning against the bench on the pathway,
watching Fleel. Could this have been the person?--had he seen us at the tree and known that the spot was under observation?--had
he lost his courage and gone off without attempting to secure the package of bills?--or was my imagination keyed up to a pitch
where I was ready to suspect every stray figure? The problem was far too confusing, and I could not arrive at even a tentative
solution.

When we pulled up
in front of the Kenting house, which suddenly seemed black and sinister in the semi-dark, we all quickly jumped to the sidewalk
and hastened in a body to the front door. Only Guilfoyle did not move; he relaxed a little in his narrow seat and remained
there, his hands still at the wheel.

Weem, in a dark pongee
dressing-robe, opened the door for us and made a superfluous gesture toward the drawing-room. Through the wide-open sliding
doors we could see Vance and Mrs. Falloway seated. Vance, without rising, greeted us whimsically as we entered.

"Mrs. Falloway," he
explained to us, "wished to remain here a short while to rest before going upstairs. Beastly ascent, y' know."

"I really feel exhausted,"
the woman supplemented in her low, cultured voice, looking at Markham and ignoring the rest of us. "I simply had to rest a
while before climbing those long flights of stairs. I do wish old Karl Kenting hadn't put such unnecessarily high ceilings
in this old house, or else that he had added a lift. It's very tiring, you know, to walk from one floor to another. And I'm
so fatigued just now, after my long walk in the park." She smiled cryptically and adjusted the pillow behind her back.

At that moment there
was a ring at the front door, and Heath went out quickly to answer it. As he swung the ponderous door back, I could easily
see, from where I stood, the figure of Porter Quaggy outside.

"What do you want?"
Heath demanded bluntly, barring the way with his thick body.

"I don't want anything,"
Quaggy returned in a cold, unfriendly voice; "--if that answer will benefit you in any way--except to ask how Mrs. Kenting
is and if you know anything more about Kaspar. I saw you drive past my hotel just now and get off here. . . . Do you want
to tell me, or don't you?"

"Let the johnnie come
in, Sergeant," Vance called out in a low, commanding voice. "I'll tell him what he wants to know. And I also desire to ask
him a question or two."

"All right," Heath
grumbled in a modified tone to the man waiting on the threshold. "Come on in and get an earful."

Quaggy stepped inside
briskly and joined us in the drawing-room. He glanced round the room with narrowed eyes and then asked of no one in particular:

"Well, what happened
tonight?"

"Nothing--really nothing,"
Vance answered casually, without looking up. "Positively nothing. Quite a fizzle, don't y' know. Very sad. . . . But I am
rather glad you decided to pay us this impromptu visit, Mr. Quaggy. Would you mind telling us where you were tonight?"

The man's eyelids
drooped still lower, till they were almost entirely shut, and he looked down at Vance for several moments with a passive and
expressionless face.

"I was at home," he
said finally, in an arctic, aggressive tone, "fretting about Kaspar." Then he suddenly shot forth, "Where were you?"

Vance smiled and sighed.

"Not that it should
concern you in the slightest, sir," he said in his most dulcet voice, "but--since you ask--I was climbing a tree. Silly pastime--what?"

Quaggy swung about
to Kenting.

"You raised the money,
Kenyon, and complied with the instructions in the follow-up note?" he asked.

Kenting inclined his
head: he was still solemn and perturbed.

"Yes," he said in
a low voice, "but it did no good."

"A swell bunch of
cheap dicks," Quaggy sneered, flashing Heath a contemptuous glance. "Didn't any one show up to collect?"

"Oh, yes, Mr. Quaggy."
It was Vance who answered. "Some one called for the money at the appointed hour, and actually took it."

"And I suppose he
got away from the police--as usual. Is that it?" Quaggy had turned again and was contemplating Vance's bland features.

"Oh, no. No. We saw
to that." Vance took a long puff on his cigarette. "The culprit is here with us in this room."

Quaggy straightened
with a start.

"The fact is," went
on Vance, "I escorted the guilty person home myself. It was Mrs. Falloway."

Quaggy's expression
did not change--he was as unemotional and noncommittal as a veteran poker player; but I had a feeling the news had shocked
him considerably. Before the man had time to say anything Vance continued lackadaisically.

"By the by, Mr. Quaggy,
are you particularly interested in black opals? I noticed a jolly good pair of them on your desk yesterday."

Quaggy hesitated for
several moments.

"And if I am, what
then?" His lips barely moved as he spoke, and there was no change in the intonation of his voice.

"Queer, don't y' know,"
Vance went on, "that there are no representative black opals in Karl Kenting's collection. Blank spaces in the case where
they should be. I can't imagine, really, how an expert collector of semiprecious stones should have overlooked so important
an item as the rarer black opal."

"I get the implication.
Anything else?" Quaggy was standing relaxed but motionless in front of Vance. Slowly he moved one foot forward, as if shifting
the burden of his weight from an overtired leg. By an almost imperceptible movement his foot came to within a few inches of
Vance's shoe.

"Really, y' know,"
Vance said with a cold smile, lifting his eyes to the man, "I shouldn't try that if I were you--unless, of course, you wish
to have me break your leg and dislocate your hip. I'm quite familiar with the trick. Picked it up in Japan."

Quaggy abruptly withdrew
his foot, but said nothing.

"I found a balas-ruby
in Kaspar Kenting's dinner jacket yesterday morning," Vance proceeded calmly. "A balas-ruby is also missing from the collection
across the hall. Interestin' mathematical item--eh?"

"What the hell's interesting
about it?" retorted the other with a sneer.

Vance looked at him
mildly.

"I was only wonderin',"
he said, "if there might be some connection between that imitation ruby and the black opals in your apartment. . . . By the
by, do you care to mention where you obtained such valuable gem specimens?"

Quaggy made a noise
in his throat which sounded to me like a contemptuous laugh, but the expression on his face did not change. He did not answer,
and Vance turned to the District Attorney.

"I think, in view
of the gentleman's attitude, Markham, and the fact that he is the last person known to have been with the missing Kaspar,
it would be advisable to hold him as a material witness."

Quaggy drew himself
erect with a jerk.

"I came by those opals
legitimately," he said quickly. "I bought them from Kaspar last night, as he said he needed some immediate cash for the evening."

"You knew, perhaps,
that the stones were part of the Kenting collection?" asked Vance coldly.

"I didn't inquire
where they came from," the man returned sullenly. "I naturally trusted him."

"'Naturally,'" murmured
Vance.

Mrs. Falloway struggled
to her feet, leaning heavily on her stick.

"I've suspected for
a long time," she said, "that Kaspar had been resorting to that collection of gems for gambling money. I've come down occasionally
and gone over the exhibits, and it seemed to me each time there were a few more missing. . . . But I'm very tired, and I'm
sufficiently rested now to return to my room. . . ."

"But, Mrs. Falloway,"
blurted Kenting--I had noticed that he had been staring at the woman incredulously ever since we had returned to the house,
and he could not, apparently, restrain his curiosity any longer; "I--I don't understand your being in the park tonight. Why--why--?"

The woman gave him
a withering look.

"Mr. Vance understands,"
she answered curtly. "That, I think, is quite sufficient." Her gaze shifted from Kenting and she seemed to take us all in
with a gracious glance. "Good night, gentlemen. . . ."

She started unsteadily
toward the door, and Vance sprang to her side.

"Permit me, madam,
to accompany you. It's a long climb to your room."

The woman bowed a
courteous acknowledgment and, for the second time that evening, took his arm. Fraim Falloway did not rise to assist his mother;
he seemed oblivious to everything that was going on. Markham, with a significant look at the Sergeant, left his chair and
took the woman's free arm. Heath moved closer to Quaggy who remained standing. Mrs. Falloway, with her two escorts, went slowly
from the drawing-room, and I followed them.

It was with considerable
effort that the woman mounted the stairs. She found it necessary to pause momentarily at each step, and when we reached her
room she sank into the large wicker armchair with the air of a person wholly exhausted.

Vance took her stick
and placed it on the floor beside the chair. Then he said in a kindly voice:

"I should like to
ask one or two questions, if you are not too weary."

The woman nodded and
smiled faintly.

"A question or two
won't do any harm, Mr. Vance," she said. "Please go ahead."

"Why did you make
the tremendous effort," Vance began, "of walking in the park tonight?"

"Why, to get all that
money, of course," the old woman answered in mock surprise. "Anyway, I didn't attempt to walk all the way: I took a cab to
within a few hundred feet of the tree. Think how rich I would have been had I not been caught in the disgraceful act. And,"
she added with a sigh, "you have spoiled everything for me."

"I'm frightfully sorry,"
said Vance in a bantering manner. "But really, there wasn't a dollar in that package." He paused and looked down earnestly
at the woman. "Tell me, Mrs. Falloway, how you knew your son intended to go to the tree for that ransom package."

For a moment Mrs.
Falloway's face was a mask. Then she said in a deep, clear voice:

"It is very difficult
to fool a mother, Mr. Vance. Fraim knew of the ransom note and the instructions in it. He knew also that Kenyon would raise
the money somehow. The boy came upstairs and told me about it after you had left the house this afternoon. Then, when he came
to my room a little before ten o'clock tonight, after having spent the evening with his sister and Kenyon, and said he was
going out, I knew what was in his mind--although he very often does go out late of an evening. He invented an important engagement--I
always know when Fraim isn't telling the truth, although he doesn't realize that I do. I knew well enough where he was going
and what he was going for. I could read it in his eyes. And I--I wished to save him from that infamy."[3]

Vance was silent for
a moment as he regarded the weary old woman with pity and admiration, and Markham nodded sympathetically.

"But Fraim is a good
boy at heart--please believe that," the woman added. "He merely lacks something--strength of body and spirit, perhaps."

Vance bowed.

"Quite. He's not well,
Mrs. Falloway. He needs medical attention. Have you ever had a basal metabolism test made on him?"

The woman shook her
head.

"A blood sugar?" proceeded
Vance.

"No." Mrs. Falloway's
voice was barely audible.

"A blood count?"

Again the woman shook
her head.

"A Wassermann?"

"The truth is, Mr. Vance,"
the woman said, "he has never been examined." Then she asked quickly: "What do you think it is?"

"I wouldn't dare to
venture an opinion, don't y' know," Vance returned, "though I'd say there was an endocrine insufficiency somewhere--an inadequacy
of some internal secretion, a definite and prolonged hormone disturbance. It may be thyroid, parathyroid, or pituitary, or
adrenal. Or maybe neurocirculatory asthenia. It is deplorable how little science knows as yet about the ductless glands. A
great work, however, is being done along those lines, and progress is constantly being made. I think you should have your
son checked up. It may be something that can be remedied."

He scribbled something
on a page from a small note-book and, tearing it out, handed it to Mrs. Falloway.

"Here is the name
and address of one of the country's greatest endocrinologists. Look him up, for your son's sake."

The woman took the
slip of paper, folded it, and put it in one of the large pockets of her skirt.

"You are very good--and
very understanding, Mr. Vance," she said. "The moment I saw you in the park tonight, I knew you would understand. A mother's
love--"

"Yes, yes--of course,"
murmured Vance. "And now I think we'll return to the drawing-room. And may you have a well-earned night's rest."

The woman looked at
him gratefully and held out her hand. He took it and, bowing, raised it to his lips.

"My eternal admiration,
madam," he said.

When we re-entered
the drawing-room we found the group just as we had left it. Fleel and Kenyon Kenting still sat stiffly in their chairs near
the front window, like awed wooden figures. Quaggy stood smoking thoughtfully before the chair where Vance had sat; and Heath,
his sturdy legs spread, was at his side, glowering at him morosely. On the sofa, his head drooping forward, his mouth slightly
open, and his arms hanging listlessly, lounged Fraim Falloway. He did not even look up as we entered; and the thought flashed
through my mind that he might not be a glandular case at all, but that he was merely suffering from the early stages of encephalitis
lethargica.

Vance glanced about
him sharply and then strolled to his chair. Reseating himself with unconcern, he lighted a fresh cigarette. Markham and I
remained standing in the doorway.

"There are one or
two matters--" drawled Vance and stopped abruptly. Then he said: "But I think Mrs. Kenting should be here with us for this
discussion. After all, it is her husband who has disappeared, and her suggestions might be dashed helpful."

"Oh, no, no," Kenting
assured him. "She almost never retires so early. She has not been able to sleep well for a long time, and reads far into the
night. And tonight I was with her till after half-past nine, and she was terribly keyed up; I know she wouldn't think of retiring
till she heard the outcome of our plans tonight."

He bustled from the
room as he finished speaking, and we heard him going up the stairs. A few moments later we could hear his sharp, repeated
knocking on a door. Then there was a long silence, and the sound of a door being opened hurriedly. Vance leaned forward in
his chair and seemed to be waiting expectantly.

A few minutes later
Kenting came rushing down the stairs. He stopped in the doorway, glaring at us with wide-open eyes. He looked breathless and
horror-stricken as he leaned for support against the door-frame.

"She's not there!"
he exclaimed in an awed voice. He took a deep breath. "I knocked on her door several times, but I got no answer--and a chill
went through me. I tried the door, but it was locked. So I went through Kaspar's room, into Madelaine's. The lights are all
on, but she isn't there. . . ."

He sucked in his breath
again excitedly and stammered as if with tremendous effort:

"The window--over
the yard--is wide open, and--and the ladder is standing against it!"

[1]Burke was a detective
from the Homicide Bureau, who, as a rule, acted as Sergeant Heath's right-hand man.

[2]Guilfoyle was another
detective from the Homicide Bureau, and had helped with the investigation of the "Canary" murder case.

[3]Vance's immediate knowledge regarding the exact
truth of the situation, when he recognized Mrs. Falloway beneath the tree that night, was another instance of his uncanny
ability to read human nature. I myself was startled by the simplicity and accuracy of his logic as the woman confessed the
facts; for Vance had reasoned, almost in a flash, that the crippled old woman, who obviously was not guilty of the crime of
kidnapping, could not have summoned sufficient strength for so heroic an act, unless it was on behalf of some one very dear
to her and whose welfare and protection were foremost in her mind.

CHAPTER XII

EMERALD PERFUME

(Thursday, July
21; 11:30 p.m.)

Kenyon Kenting's announcement
that his sister-in-law was gone from her room and that the portentous ladder was standing below the open window had an instantaneous
effect upon the gathering in the drawing-room. Markham and I had stepped into the room, and instinctively both of us turned
to Heath who was, after all, technically in charge of the routine end of the Kenting kidnapping case. The wordless feud which
had been going on between Heath and Porter Quaggy was immediately forgotten, and Heath was now directing his fierce glance
to Kenting as he stood dejectedly in the doorway.

Quaggy's cigarette
fell from his lips to the rug, where he stepped on it with automatic quickness, without even looking down.

Fleel rose to his
feet and, as he jerked down his waistcoat with both hands, appeared dazed and inarticulate. Even Fraim Falloway raised himself
suddenly out of his stupor and, glowering at Kenting, began babbling hysterically.

"The hell you say!
The hell you say!" he cried out in a high-pitched voice. "That's some more of Kaspar's dirty work. He's playing a game to
get money, I tell you. I don't believe he was kidnapped at all--"

The Sergeant swung
about and grabbed the youth roughly by the shoulder.

"Pipe down, young
fella," he ordered. "Makin' fool statements like that ain't gonna help anything."

Falloway subsided
and made a nervous search through his pockets till he found a crumpled cigarette.

I myself was shocked
and dumbfounded by this startling turn of events. As a matter of fact, I hadn't yet recovered from the strange adventure in
the park, and I was totally unprepared for this new blow.

Only Vance seemed
unruffled and composed. He always had astounding control of his nerves, and it was difficult to judge just what was his reaction
to the news of Mrs. Kenting's disappearance.

Markham, I noticed,
was watching Vance closely, and as Vance slowly crushed out his cigarette and got indolently to his feet, Markham blurted
out angrily:

"This doesn't seem
to surprise you, Vance. You're taking it too damned calmly to suit me. Had you any idea of this--this new outrage when you
suggested that Mrs. Kenting be called?"

"Oh, I rather expected
something of the kind, but, frankly, I didn't think it would happen so soon."

"If you expected this
thing," Markham snapped, "why didn't you let me know, so that we could do something about it?"

"My dear Markham!"
Vance spoke with pacifying coolness. "There was nothing any one could do. The predicament was far from simple; and it's still
a difficult one."

Heath had gone to
the telephone, and I could hear him, with one ear, as it were, calling the Homicide Bureau and giving officious instructions.
Then he slammed down the receiver and stalked toward the stairs.

"I want to look at
that room," he announced. "Two of the boys from the Bureau are coming up right away. This is a hell of a night. . . ." His
voice trailed off as he went up the steps two at a time. Vance and Markham and I had left the drawing-room and were immediately
behind him.

Heath first tried
the door-knob of Mrs. Kenting's room, but, as Kenting had informed us, the door was locked. He went up the hall to Kaspar
Kenting's room. The door here was standing ajar, and at the far end of the room we could see into Mrs. Kenting's brightly
lighted boudoir. Stepping through the first chamber, we entered the lighted bedroom. As Kenting had said, the window facing
on the court was wide open, and not only was the Venetian blind raised to the top, but the heavy drapes were drawn apart.
Cautiously avoiding any contact with the window-sill, Heath leaned out at the window, and then turned quickly back.

"The ladder's there,
all right," he asserted. "The same like it was at the other window yesterday."

Vance was apparently
not listening. He had adjusted his monocle and was looking round the room without any apparent show of interest. Leisurely
he walked to the dressing-table opposite the window and looked down at it for a moment. A round cut-glass powder jar stood
uncovered at one side; the tinted glass top was resting on its side several inches away. A large powder puff lay on the floor
beneath the table. Vance reached down, picked it up, fitted it back into the jar, and replaced the cover.

Then he lifted up
a small perfume atomizer which was resting perilously near the edge of the dressing-table, and pressed the bulb slightly.
He sniffed at the spray, and set the bottle down at the rear of the table, on the crystal tray where it evidently belonged.

"Courtet's emerald,"
he murmured. "I'm sure this was not the lady's personal preference in perfumes. Blondes know better, don't y' know. Emerald
is suitable only for brunettes, especially those with olive complexions and abundant hair. . . . Very interestin'."

Heath was eyeing Vance with
obvious annoyance. He could not understand Vance's actions. But he said nothing and merely watched impatiently.

Vance then went to
the door and inspected it briefly.

"The night latch isn't
on," he murmured, as if to himself. "And the turn-bolt hasn't been thrown. Door locked with a key. And no key in the keyhole."

"What are you getting
at, Vance?" demanded Markham. "What if there is no key there? The door could have been locked and the key removed."

"Quite so--theoretically,"
returned Vance. "But rather an unusual procedure just the same--eh, what? When one locks oneself in a bedroom with a key,
one usually leaves the key in the lock. Just what would be the object in removing it? Dashed if I know. . . . It could be,
however. . . ."

He went across the
room and into the bathroom. This room too was brightly lit. He glanced at the long metal cord hanging from the electric fixture,
and with his hand tested the weight of the painted glass cylindrical ornament attached to the end of the chain. He released
it and watched it swing back and forth. He looked into the tumbler which stood on the wide rim of the washbowl and, setting
it down again, examined the washbowl itself, and around the edges. He then bent over the soap dish. Markham, standing in the
bathroom doorway, followed his movements with a puzzled frown.

"What in the name
of God--" he began irritably.

"Tut, tut, my dear
fellow," Vance interrupted, turning to him with a contemplative look. "I was merely attemptin' to ascertain at just what time
the lady departed. . . . I would surmise, don't y' know, that it was round ten o'clock this evening."

Markham still looked
perplexed.

"How do you figure
that out?" he asked skeptically.

"Indications may be
entirely misleadin'." Vance sighed slightly. "Nothing certain, nothing accurate in this world. One may only venture an opinion.
I'm no oracle, Delphic or otherwise. Merely strugglin' toward the light." He pointed with his cigarette to the pull-chain
of the electric fixture overhead. It was still swinging back and forth like a pendulum, but with a slight rotary motion, and
its to-and-fro movement had not perceptibly abated.

"When I came into
the bathroom," Vance explained, "yon polished brass chain was at rest--oh, quite--and I opined that its movement, with that
heavy and abominable solid glass cylinder to control it, would discernibly continue, once it was pulled and released, for
at least an hour. And it's just half-past eleven now. . . . Moreover, the glass here is quite dry, showing that it has not
been used for an hour or two. Also, there's not a drop of water, either in the washbowl or on the edge; and a certain number
of drops and a little dampness always remain after the washbowl has been used. And, by the by, the rubber stopper is dry.
That process, I believe, would take in the neighborhood of an hour and a half. Even the small amount of lather left on the
cake of soap is dry and crumbly, which would point to the fact that it had not been used for at least an hour or so."

He took several puffs
on his cigarette.

"And I cannot imagine
Mrs. Kenting, with her habit of remaining up late, performing her nightly toilet as early as these matters would indicate.
And yet the light was on in the bathroom, and there is a certain amount of evidence that she had been powdering her nose and
spraying herself with perfume some time during the evening. Moreover, my dear Markham, there are indications of haste in the
performance of these feminine rites, for she did not put the perfume atomizer back where it belongs, nor did she stop to retrieve
the powder puff from where it had fallen on the floor."

Markham nodded glumly.

"I begin to see what
you are trying to get at, Vance," he mumbled.

"And all these little
details, taken in connection with the open latch and the unthrown bolt and the missing key in the hall door, lead me--rather
vaguely and shakily, I admit--to the theory that she had a rendezvous elsewhere, for which she was a wee bit late, at some
time around the far-from-witching hour of ten o'clock."

Markham thought a moment.
Then he said slowly:

"But that's only a
theory, Vance. It might have been at any time earlier in the evening after the dusk was sufficiently advanced to make artificial
light necessary."

"Quite true," agreed
Vance, "on the mere visible evidence hereabouts. But don't you recall that Kenting informed us only a few minutes ago that
he was here at the house with Mrs. Kaspar Kenting until half-past nine this evening? And have you forgot already, my dear
Markham, that Mrs. Falloway mentioned that young Fraim had been with his sister until a short time before he had his important
engagement at ten o'clock?--which may have accounted for the lady's flustered state in preparing herself for the rendezvous,
provided the assignation was made for ten o'clock. You see how nicely it all dovetails."

Markham nodded comprehendingly.

"All right," he said.
"But what follows from all that?"

Without answering
the question, Vance turned to Heath.

"What time, Sergeant,"
he asked, "did you notify Fleel and Kenyon Kenting about the arrangements for tonight?"

"Well, I called Fleel
at his home and he wasn't there yet. But I left word for him and he called me back in a little while. But I didn't think to
ask him where he was. And Kenting was here."

Vance smoked a moment
and said nothing, but he seemed satisfied with the answer. He glanced about him and again addressed Heath.

"I'm afraid, Sergeant,
your finger-print men and your photographers and your busy boys from the Homicide Bureau are going to draw a blank here. But
I'm sure you'd be horribly disappointed if they didn't clutter this room up with insufflators and tripods and what not."

"I still want to know,"
persisted Markham, "what all this time-table hocus-pocus means."

Vance looked at him
with unwonted seriousness.

"It means deviltry,
Markham." His voice was unusually low and resonant. "It means something damnable. I don't like this case.--I don't at all
like it. It infuriates me because it leaves us so helpless. Again, I fear, we must wait."

"But we can't just
sit back," said Markham in a dispirited voice. "Isn't there some step you can suggest?"

"Well, yes. But it
won't help much. I propose that first we ask one or two questions of the gentlemen downstairs. And then I propose that we
go into the yard and take a look at the ladder." Vance turned to Heath. "Have you your flashlight, Sergeant?"

"Sure I have," the
other answered.

"And after that,"
Vance went on, resuming his reply to Markham, "I propose that we go home and bide our time. The Sergeant will carry on with
his prescribed but futile activities while we slumber."

Heath grunted and
started toward Kaspar Kenting's room, headed for the hallway.

When we reached the
drawing-room we found all four of its occupants anxious and alert. Even Fraim Falloway seemed excited and expectant. They
were all standing in a small group, talking to each other in short jerky sentences the gist of which I did not catch, for
the conversation stopped abruptly, and they turned to us eagerly the moment we entered the room.

"We're not through
looking round yet," Vance returned placatingly. "We hope to know something definite very soon. Just now, however, I wish to
ask each of you gentlemen a question."

He did not seem particularly
concerned and sat down as he spoke, crossing his knees leisurely. When he had selected a cigarette from his platinum-and-jet
case he turned suddenly to the lawyer.

"What is your favorite
perfume, Mr. Fleel?" he asked unexpectedly.

The man stared at him in
blank astonishment, and I am sure that had he been in a courtroom, he would have appealed instantly to the judge with the
usual incompetent-irrelevant-and-immaterial objection. However, he managed a condescending smile and replied:

"I have no favorite
perfume--I know nothing about such things. It's true, I send bottles of perfume to my women clients at Christmas, instead
of the conventional flower-baskets, but I always leave the selection to my secretary."

"Do you regard Mrs.
Kenting as one of your women clients?" Vance continued.

"I--I don't know,"
Falloway stammered. "I'm not familiar with such feminine matters. But I think emerald is wonderful--so mysterious--so exotic--so
subtle." He raised his eyes almost rapturously, like a young poet reciting his own verses.

"You're quite right,"
murmured Vance; and then he focused his gaze on Kenyon Kenting.

"All perfumes smell
alike to me," was the man's annoyed assertion before Vance could frame the question again. "I can't tell one from another--except
gardenia. Whenever I give any woman perfume, I give her gardenia."

A faint smile appeared
at the corners of Vance's mouth.

"Really, y' know,"
he said, "I shouldn't do it, if I were you."

As he spoke he turned
his head to Porter Quaggy.

"And how about you,
Mr. Quaggy?" he asked lightly. "If you were giving a lady perfume, what scent would you select?"

Quaggy gave a mirthless
chuckle.

"I haven't yet been
guilty of such foolishness," he replied. "I stick to flowers. They're easier. But if I were compelled to present a fair creature
with perfume, I'd first find out what she liked."

"Quite a sensible
point of view," murmured Vance, rising as if with great effort and turning. "And now, I say, Sergeant, let's have a curs'ry
look at that ladder."

As we walked down
the front steps I saw Guilfoyle still sitting at the wheel of his cab, with the motor humming gently.

Heath flashed on his
powerful pocket light, and for the second time we went through the street gate leading into the yard, and approached the ladder
leaning against the side of the house.

The short grass was
entirely dry, and the ground had completely hardened since the rain two nights ago. Vance again bent over at the foot of the
ladder while Heath held the flashlight.

"There's no need to
fear my spoiling your adored footprints tonight, Sergeant,--the ground is much too hard. Not even Sweet Alice Cherry[1] could have made an impression on this sod." Vance straightened up after a moment and moved the ladder slightly to the right,
as he had done the previous morning. "And don't get jittery about finger-prints, Sergeant," he went on. "I'm quite convinced
you'll find none. This ladder, I opine, is merely a stage-prop, as it were; and the person who set it here was clever enough
to have used gloves."

He bent over again
and inspected the lawn, but rose almost immediately.

Heath immediately
clambered up five or six rungs and then descended; and Vance again moved the ladder a few inches. Both he and Heath now knelt
down and scrutinized the ground.

"Observe," said Vance
as he rose to his feet, "that the uprights make a slight depression in the soil, even with the weight of only one person pressing
upon the ladder. . . . Let's go inside again and dispense our adieux."

On re-entering the
house Vance immediately joined Kenting at the entrance to the drawing-room and announced to him, as well as to the others
inside, that we were going, and that the house would be taken over very shortly by the police. There was a general silent
acquiescence to his announcement.

"I might as well be
going along myself," said Kenting despondently. "There is obviously nothing I can do here. But I hope you gentlemen will let
me know the moment you learn anything. I'll be at home all night, and in my office tomorrow."

"Oh, quite," returned
Vance, without looking at the man. "Go home, by all means. This has been a trying night, and you can help us better tomorrow
if you are able to get any rest now."

The man seemed grateful:
it was obvious he was much discouraged by the shock he had just received. Taking his hat from the hall bench, he hurried out
the front door.

Quaggy's eyes followed
the departing man. Then he rose and began pacing up and down the drawing-room.

"I guess I'll be getting
along too," he said finally, with a note of interrogation in his voice. "I may go, I suppose?" There was a suggestion of sneering
belligerence in his tone.

"Thanks," muttered
Quaggy sarcastically, keeping his eyes down. And he too left the house.

When the front door
had closed after him, Fleel looked up rather apologetically.

"I trust you gentlemen
will not misunderstand my seeming right-about-face this morning regarding the assistance of the Police Department. The fact
is, I was entirely sincere in telling you in the District Attorney's office that I was inclined to leave everything in your
hands regarding the payment of the fifty thousand dollars. But on my way to the house here to see Kenting, I weighed the matter
more carefully, and when I saw how eager Kenting was to follow the thing through alone, I decided it might be better, after
all, to agree with him regarding the elimination of the police tonight. I see now that I was mistaken, and that my first instinct
was correct. I feel, after what happened in the park tonight--"

"Pray don't worry
on that score, Mr. Fleel," Vance returned negligently. "We quite understand your advis'ry attitude in the matter. Difficult
position--eh, what? After all, one can only make guesses, subject to change."

Fleel was now on his
feet, looking down meditatively at his half-smoked cigar.

"Yes," he muttered;
"it is, as you say, a most difficult situation. . . ." He glanced up swiftly. "What do you make of this second terrible episode
tonight?"

"I feel that we have
not reached the end of this atrocious business yet. There appears to be a malicious desperation back of these happenings.
. . . I wish I had never been brought into the case--I'm actually beginning to harbor fears for my own safety."

"We appreciate just
how you feel," Vance returned.

Fleel straightened
up with an effort and moved forward resolutely.

"I think I too will
be going." He spoke in a weary tone, and I noticed that his hand trembled slightly as he picked up his hat and adjusted it.

"Cheerio," said Vance
as the lawyer turned at the front door and bowed stiffly to us.

Meanwhile Fraim Falloway
had risen from his place on the davenport. He now moved silently past us, with a drawn look on his face, and trudged heavily
up the stairs.

Falloway had barely
time to reach the first landing when the telephone resting on a small wobbly stand in the hall began ringing. Weem suddenly
appeared from the dimness of the rear hall and picked up the receiver with a blunt "hello." He listened for a moment; then
laying down the receiver, turned sullenly in our direction.

"It's a call for Sergeant
Heath," he announced, as if his privacy had been needlessly invaded.

The Sergeant went quickly
to the telephone and put the receiver to his ear.

"Well, what is it?"
he started belligerently. ". . . . Sure it's the Sarge--shoot! . . . Well, for the love of--Hold it a minute." He clapped
his hand over the mouthpiece and swung about quickly.

"Where'll we be in
half an hour, Chief?"

"We'll be at Mr. Vance's
apartment," Markham answered after one glance at Heath's expression.

"Oh, my word!" sighed
Vance. "I had hoped to be reposing. . . ."

The Sergeant turned
back to the instrument.

"Listen, you," he
fairly bawled; "we'll be at Mr. Vance's apartment in East 38th Street. Know where it is? . . . That's right--and make it snappy."
He banged down the receiver.

"Important, is it,
Sergeant?" asked Markham.

"I'll say it is."
Heath stepped quickly away from the telephone table. "Let's get going, sir. I'll tell you about it on the way down. Snitkin's
meeting us at Mr. Vance's apartment. And Sullivan and Hennessey will be here any minute to take over."

The butler was still
in the hall, half standing and half leaning against one of the large newel posts at the foot of the stairs, and Heath now
addressed him peremptorily.

"Some of my men will
be here pretty soon, Weem. And then you can go to bed. This house is in the hands of the police from now on--understand?"

The butler nodded
his head dourly, and shuffled away toward the rear of the house.

"Just a moment, Weem,"
called Vance.

The man turned and
approached us again, sulky and antagonistic.

"Weem, did you or
your wife hear any one go out or enter this house around ten o'clock tonight?" Vance asked.

"No, I didn't hear
anything. Neither did Gertrude. Mrs. Kenting told both of us that we wouldn't be needed and could do as we pleased after dinner.
We had a long day and were tired, and we were both asleep from nine o'clock till you and Mrs. Falloway rang and I had to let
you in. After the others came I got dressed and came down to see if there was anything I could do."

"Most admirable of
you, Weem," Vance commended him, turning to the front door. "That's all I wanted to ask just now."

Just as Markham and
Heath and I turned to follow Vance, there came, from somewhere outside, a startling and ominous rattle that sounded like the
staccato and rapid sputtering of a machine-gun. So keyed up were my nerves that the reports went through me with a sickening
horror, almost as if it had been the bullets themselves.

"God Almighty!" came
the explosive exclamation of the Sergeant, who was at my side; and he stopped abruptly, as if he, too, had been struck by
a bombardment of bullets. Then he suddenly sprang forward past Vance and, jerking the front door open, hurried out into the
warm summer night without a word to any one. The rest of us followed close behind him. The Sergeant had halted at the edge
of the stone pathway to the sidewalk and was looking confusedly up and down the street, uncertain which way to turn. Guilfoyle
had jumped down from his seat in the cab as we came out of the vestibule, and was gesticulating excitedly in front of Heath.

"The shots came from
up that way," he told Heath, waving his arm toward Central Park West. "What do you want me to do, Sarge?"

"Stay here and keep
your eyes open," Heath ordered in clipped accents, "until Sullivan and Hennessey arrive. . . . And," he added as he started
off toward the park, "stick around after that, in case of any emergency."

"I'm wise," Guilfoyle
called after him.

Guilfoyle saluted
half-heartedly, as Markham and Vance appeared on the sidewalk, and again he waved his arm to indicate, I presume, which way
Heath had gone. He leaned reluctantly against his cab as we followed the Sergeant up the street.

"No," murmured Vance
as we hurried along, "not a pleasant case. . . . And if my intuition is correct, these shots are another manifestation of
its complexity."

Heath was now breaking
into a run ahead of us; and Markham and I had difficulty keeping pace with Vance as he, too, lengthened his stride.

Just this side of
the Nottingham Hotel at the corner, a small group of excited men were gathered under the bright light of the lamppost set
between two trees along the curb. As Heath came abreast of the cluster of onlookers we could hear his gruff voice ordering
them to disperse, and one by one they reluctantly moved off. Some continued on whatever business they had been about, while
others remained to look on from the opposite side of the street. In the few moments it took us to reach the lamppost, the
Sergeant had succeeded in clearing the scene.

There, leaning in
a crouching attitude against the iron lamppost, was Fleel. His face was deathly pale. I have yet to see so unmistakable a
picture of collapse from fright as he presented. His nerves were completely shattered. He was as pitiful a figure as I have
ever looked at, huddled beneath the unflattering glare of the large electric light overhead, as he leaned weakly for support
against the lamppost. In front of the lawyer stood Quaggy, looking at him with a curious hard-faced serenity.

Heath was staring
at Fleel with a startled, inquisitive look in his eyes; but before he could speak to Fleel, Vance took the man under the arms
and, knocking his feet from under him, set him down gently on the narrow strip of lawn which bordered the sidewalk, with his
back against the lamppost.

"Breathe deeply,"
Vance advised the lawyer, when he had settled him on the ground. "And pull yourself together. Then see if you can tell us
what happened."

Fleel looked up, his
chest rising and falling as he sucked in the stagnant air of that humid July night. Slowly he struggled to his feet again
and leaned heavily against the post, his eyes fixed before him.

Quaggy put a hand
on the man's shoulder, as if to steady him, and shook him gently as he did so.

Fleel managed a sickly
grimace intended for a smile, and turned his head weakly back and forth, blinking his eyes as if to clear his vision.

"That was a close
call," he muttered. "They almost got me."

"Who almost got you,
Mr. Fleel?" asked Vance.

"Why--why--" the man stammered,
and paused for breath. "The men in the car, of course. I--didn't see--who they were--"

Fleel took another
deep breath and, with an obvious effort, straightened up a little more.

"Didn't you see it
all?" he asked, his voice high and unnatural. "I was on my way to the corner, to get a taxicab, when a car drove up from behind
me. I naturally paid no attention to it until it suddenly swerved toward the curb and stopped with a screeching of brakes,
just as I reached this street light. As I turned round to see what it was, a small machine-gun was thrust over the ledge of
the open window of the car and the firing began. I instinctively grasped this iron post and crouched down. After a number
of shots the car jerked forward. I admit I was too frightened to notice which way it turned."

"But at least you
were not hit, Mr. Fleel."

The man moved his hands over
his body.

"No, thank Heaven
for that," he muttered.

"And," Vance continued,
"the car couldn't have been over ten feet away from you. A very poor shot, I should say. You were lucky, sir, this time."
He spun round quickly to Quaggy, who had taken a step or two backward from the frightened man. "I don't quite understand your
being here, Mr. Quaggy. Surely, you've had more than ample time to ensconce yourself safely in your boudoir."

Quaggy stepped forward
resentfully.

"I was in my
apartment. As you can see,"--he pointed indignantly to his two open front windows in the near-by hotel--"my lights are on.
When I got to my rooms I didn't go directly to bed--I hope it wasn't a crime. I went to the front window and stood there for
a few minutes, trying to get a breath of fresh air. Then I caught sight of Mr. Fleel coming up the street--he had apparently
just left the Kenting house--and behind him came a car. Not that I paid any particular attention to it, but I did notice it.
Only, when it turned in to the curb and stopped directly opposite Mr. Fleel as he reached the light post my curiosity was
naturally aroused. And when I heard the machine-gun and saw the spits of fire coming through the window, and also saw Mr.
Fleel grasp the lamppost and sink down, I thought he had been shot. I naturally dashed down--so here I am. . . . Anything
illegal in that procedure?" he asked with cold sarcasm.

"No--oh, no," smiled
Vance. "Quite normal. Far more normal, in fact, than if you had gone immediately to bed without a bit of airin' by the open
window." He glanced at Quaggy with an enigmatical smile. "By the by," he went on, "did you, by any chance, note what type
of car it was that attacked Mr. Fleel?"

"No, I didn't get
a very good look at it," Quaggy returned in a chilly tone. "At first I didn't pay much attention to it, as I said; and when
the shooting began I was too excited to get any vivid impression. But I think it was a coupé of some kind--not a very large
car, and certainly not a new model."

"And the color?" prompted
Vance.

"It was a dingy, nondescript
color." Quaggy narrowed his eyes, as if trying to recall a definite picture. "It might have been a faded green--it was hard
to be certain from the window. In fact, I think it was green."

Heath was watching
Quaggy shrewdly.

"Yeah?" he said skeptically.
"Which way did it go?"

Quaggy turned to the Sergeant.

"I really didn't notice,"
he replied none too cordially. "I caught only a glimpse of it as it started toward the park."

"A fine bunch of spectators,"
Heath snorted. "I'll see about that car myself." And he started running toward Central Park West.

As he neared the corner,
a burly figure in uniform turned suddenly into 86th Street from the south, and almost collided with the Sergeant. By the bright
corner light I could see that the newcomer was McLaughlin, the night officer on duty in that section, who had reported to
us the morning of Kaspar Kenting's disappearance. He drew up quickly and saluted with a jerk.

"What was it, Sergeant?"
His breathless, excited query carried down to us. "I heard the shots, and been trying to locate 'em. Did they come outa this
street?"

"You're damn tootin',
McLaughlin," replied Heath, and, grasping the officer by the arm, he swung him about, and the two started off again.

"Did you see any car
come out of this street, into Central Park West?" demanded Heath.

I could not now hear
what the officer answered, but when the two had reached the curb at the corner McLaughlin was waving his arm uptown, and I
assumed that he was pointing in the direction that the green coupé had taken.

Heath looked up and
down the avenue for a moment, no doubt trying to find a car he could requisition for the chase; but there was apparently none
in sight, and he started diagonally across the street uptown, with McLaughlin at his heels. In the middle of the crossing
the Sergeant turned his head and called out over his shoulder to us:

"Wait here at the
corner for me." Then he and McLaughlin disappeared past the building on the north corner of Central Park West.

"My word, such energy!"
sighed Vance when Heath and the officer were out of sight. "The coupé could be at 110th Street by this time--and thus the
mad search would end. Heath is all action and no mentation. Sad, sad. . . . Vital ingredient of the police routine, I imagine--eh,
what, Markham?"

Markham was in a solemn
mood, and took no offense at Vance's levity.

"There's a taxicab
stand just a block up on Central Park West," he explained patiently. "The Sergeant is probably headed for that in order to
commandeer a cab for the chase."

"Marvellous," murmured
Vance. "But I imagine even the green coupé could outrun a nocturnal taxi-cab if they both started from scratch."

"Not if the Sergeant
were to puncture one of its rear tires with a bullet or two," retorted Markham angrily.

"I doubt if the Sergeant
will have the opportunity, by this time." Vance smiled despondently. Then he turned to Fleel. "Feeling better?" he asked pleasantly.

"I'm all right now,"
the lawyer returned, taking a wobbly step or two forward and biting the end from a cigar he took from his pocket.

"That's bully," Vance
said consolingly. "Do you want an escort home?"

"No, thanks," said
Fleel, in a voice that was still dazed. "I'll make it all right." And when he had his cigar going he turned shakily toward
Central Park West. "I'll pick up a taxicab." He held out his hand to Quaggy, who took it with surprising cordiality. "Many
thanks, Mr. Quaggy," he said weakly and, I thought, a little shamefacedly. Then he bowed somewhat stiffly and haughtily to
us and moved away out of the ring of light.

"Queer episode," commented
Vance, as if to himself. "Fits in rather nicely, though. Lucky for your lawyer friend, Markham, that the gentleman in the
green coupé wasn't a better shot. . . . Ah, well, we might as well toddle to the corner and await the energetic Sergeant.
Really, y' know, Markham, there's no use gazing at the lamppost any longer."

Markham silently followed
Vance toward the park.

Quaggy turned too
and walked with us the short distance to the entrance of his apartment-hotel, where he took leave of us. At the great iron-grilled
door he turned and said tauntingly: "Many thanks for not arresting me."

At the corner Vance
very deliberately lighted a cigarette and seated himself indolently on the wide stone balustrade extending along the east
wall of the Nottingham Hotel.

"I'm not bloodthirsty
at all, Markham," he said, looking quizzically at the District Attorney; "but I rather wish the gentleman with the machine-gun
had potted Mr. Fleel. And he was at such short range. I've never wielded a machine-gun myself, but I'm quite sure I could
have done better than that. . . . And the poor Sergeant, dashing madly around at this hour. My heart goes out to him. The
whole explanation of this evening's little contretemps lies elsewhere than with the mysterious green coupé."

Markham was annoyed.
He was standing at the curb, straining his eyes up the avenue to the north. "Sometimes, Vance," he said, without taking his
eyes from the wide macadamized roadway, "you infuriate me with your babble. A lot of good it would have done us to have Fleel
shot a few feet away from myself and the police."

Vance joined Markham
at the edge of the sidewalk and followed his intense gaze northward to the quiet blocks in the distance.

"I'll warrant the
Sergeant and McLaughlin overhaul that car somewhere." Markham was apparently following his own trend of thought.

"Oh, I dare say,"
sighed Vance. "But I doubt if it will get us forrader. One can't send a green coupé to the electric chair. Silly notion--what?"

There were several
moments of silence, and then a taxicab came at a perilous rate out of the transverse in the park, swung south, and drew up
directly in front of us.

Simultaneously with
the car's abrupt stop the door swung open, and Heath and McLaughlin stepped down.

"We got the car all
right," announced Heath triumphantly. "The same dirty-green coupé McLaughlin here saw outside the Kenting house Wednesday
morning."

The officer nodded
his head enthusiastically.

"It's the same, all right,"
he asserted. "I'd swear to it. Jeez, what a break!"

"Where did you find
it, Sergeant?" asked Markham. (Vance was unimpressed and was blowing smoke-rings playfully into the still summer air.)

"Right up there in
the transverse leading through the park." The Sergeant waved his arm with an impatient backward flourish, and barely missed
striking McLaughlin who stood beside him. "It was half-way up on the curb. Abandoned. After the guys in it ditched the car
they musta come out and hopped a taxicab up the street, because shortly after the green coupé turned into the transverse two
guys walked out and, according to the driver here, took the cab in front of his."

Without waiting for
a reply from either Markham or Vance, Heath swung about and beckoned imperiously to the chauffeur of the cab from which he
had just alighted. A short rotund man of perhaps thirty, with a flat cap and a duster too long for him, struggled out of the
front seat and joined us.

"Look here, you,"
bawled Heath, "do you know the name of the man who was running the cab ahead of you on the stand tonight who took the two
guys what come out of the transverse?"

"Sure I know him,"
returned the chauffeur. "He's a buddy of mine."

"Know where he lives?"

"Sure I know where
he lives. Up on Kelly Street, in the Bronx. He's got a wife and three kids."

"The hell with his
family!" snapped Heath. "Get hold of that baby as soon as you can, and tell him to beat it down to the Homicide Bureau pronto.
I wanta know where he took those two guys that came out of the transverse."

"I can tell ya that
right now, officer," came the chauffeur's respectful answer. "I was standin' talkin' to Abe when the fares came over from
the park. I opened the door for 'em myself. An' they told Abe to drive like hell to the uptown station of the Lexington Avenue
subway at 86th Street."

"Ah!" It was Vance
who spoke. "That's very interestin'. Uptown--eh, what?"

"Anyway, I wanta see
this buddy of yours," Heath went on to the chauffeur, ignoring Vance's interpolated comment. "Get me, fella?"

"Sure I getcha, officer,"
the chauffeur returned subserviently. "Abe ought to be back on the stand in half an hour."

"That's O.-K.," growled
Heath, turning to Markham. "Gosh, Chief, I gotta get to a telephone quick and get the boys lookin' for these guys."

"Why rush the matter,
Sergeant?" Vance spoke casually. "We really ought not to keep Snitkin waiting too long at the apartment, don't y' know. I
say, let's take this taxi and we'll be home in a few minutes. You can then use my phone to your heart's content. And this
gentleman here"--indicating the chauffeur--"can return at once to his stand and await the arrival of his friend, Mr. Abraham."

Heath hesitated, and
Markham nodded after a quick look at Vance.

"I think that will
be the best course, Sergeant," the District Attorney said, and opened the door of the taxicab.

We all got inside,
leaving McLaughlin standing on the curb, and Heath gave Vance's address to the driver. As we pulled away, Heath put his head
out of the window.

"Report that empty
car," he called out to McLaughlin. "And then keep your eye on it till the boys come up for it. Also watch for Abie till this
fellow gets back--then get to the Kenting house and stand by with Guilfoyle."

CHAPTER XIV

KASPAR IS FOUND

(Friday, July 22;
12:30 a.m.)

As we drove rapidly
down Central Park West, Markham nervously lighted a cigar and asked Heath, who was sitting on the seat in front of him:

"Well, what about
that telephone call you got at the Kenting house, Sergeant?"

Heath turned his head
and spoke out of the corner of his mouth.

"Kaspar Kenting's
body has been found in the East River, around 150th Street. The report came in right after Snitkin got back to Headquarters.
He's got all the details. . . . I thought I'd better not say anything about it up at the Kentings' place with that snoopy
butler hanging around."

Markham did not speak
for a few seconds. Then he asked:

"Is that all you know,
Sergeant?"

"My God, Chief!" Heath
exclaimed. "Ain't that enough?" And he settled down in the narrow, cramped quarters of his seat.

Again there was silence
in the cab. Though I could not see Markham's face, I could well imagine his mixed reactions to this disturbing piece of news.

"Then you were right,
Vance," he commented at length, in a strained, barely audible tone.

"The East River--eh?"
Vance spoke quietly and without emotion. "Yes, it could easily be. Very distressin'. . . ." He said no more; nor was there
any further talk until we reached Vance's apartment.

Snitkin was already
waiting in the upper hallway, just outside the library. Heath merely grunted to him as he brushed by and picked up the telephone.
He talked for five minutes or more, making innumerable reports relating to the night's happenings and giving various instructions.
When he had the routine police ball rolling he beckoned to Snitkin, and entered the library where Vance, Markham, and I were
waiting.

"Go ahead, Snitkin,"
ordered Heath, before the man was barely in the room. "Tell us what you know."

"Oh, I say, Sergeant,"
put in Vance, "let Snitkin have a bit of this brandy first." And he poured a copious drink of his rare Napoléon into
a whiskey glass on the end of the library table. "The gruesome particulars will keep a moment."

Snitkin hesitated
and glanced sheepishly at the District Attorney. Markham merely nodded his head, and the detective gulped down the cognac.
"Much obliged, Mr. Vance," he said. "And here's all I know about it:"--It is interesting to note that Snitkin addressed himself
to Vance and not to either Markham or Heath, although Vance had no official standing in the Police Department.--"There's a
small inlet up there in the river, which isn't over three feet deep, and the fellow on the beat--Nelson, I think it was--saw
this baby lying on the bank, with his legs sticking out of the water, along about nine o'clock tonight. So he called in and
reported it right away, and they sent over a buggy from the local station. The Medical Examiner of the Bronx gave the body
the once-over, and it seems the fellow didn't even die from drowning. He was already dead when he was dumped into the water.
His head was bashed in with--"

"With the usual blunt
instrument," broke in Vance, finishing the sentence. "That's what the medicos always call it when they are not sure just how
a johnnie was laid low by violence."

"That's right, Mr.
Vance," resumed Snitkin with a grin. "The fellow's head was bashed in with a blunt instrument--that's just what the report
said. . . . Well, the doc guessed the guy had been dead twelve hours maybe. There's no telling how long he'd been lying there
in the inlet. It's not a place that's likely to be seen by anybody, and it was only by accident that Nelson ran across the
body."

"What about identification?"
asked Heath officiously.

"Oh, there was plenty
identification, Sarge," Snitkin answered. "The guy not only fit the description like a glove, but his clothes and his pockets
was full of identification. Looked almost like whoever threw him there wanted him to be identified quick. He had his name
on a label on the inside of his coat pocket, and another one under the strap of his vest, and still another one sewed into
the watch pocket of his pants. And that ain't all: his name was written on the inside of his shoes--though I don't get that
exactly. . . ."

"That's quite correct,
Snitkin," remarked Vance. "It's the practice of all custom boot-makers. And the three labels in his clothes merely mean that
they were made to order by a custom tailor. Quite custom'ry and understandable."

"Anyhow," Snitkin
went on, "I'm simply tellin' you how we know the body is Kenting's. There was a wallet with initials in his inside coat pocket,
with a couple of letters addressed to him, and a bunch of callin' cards. . . ."

"I do wish you'd call
them visitin' cards," murmured Vance.

"Hell, I'll call 'em
anything you want," grinned Snitkin. "Anyhow, they was there. And there was a fancy pocket comb with his initials on it--"

"A pocket comb--eh?"
Vance nodded with satisfaction. "Very interestin', Markham. When a gentleman carries a pocket comb--not a particularly popular
practice these days, since beards went out of fashion--he would certainly not add a toilet comb to his equipment. . . . Forgive
the interruption, Snitkin. Go ahead."

"Well, there was monograms
on damn-near everything else he had in his pockets, like his cigarette case and lighter and knife and key-ring and handkerchiefs;
and there was even monograms on his underwear. According to the boys at the local station, he was either the Kaspar Kenting
we're looking for, or he wasn't nobody. And that was a pretty complete description of him we sent out this morning to all
the local precincts."

"No pajamas and no
toothbrush in his pocket, Snitkin?" Vance asked.

"Pajamas--a toothbrush?"
Snitkin was as much surprised as he was puzzled. "Nothing was said about 'em, Mr. Vance, so I guess they wasn't there. Are
they needed for identification?"

"Oh, no--no," Vance
returned quickly. "Just a bit of curiosity on my part. Oh, I don't question the identification for a moment, Snitkin. It needs
far less proof than you've given us."

"Who gave you all
this dope, Snitkin?" asked the Sergeant in a somewhat mollified tone.

"The desk sergeant
uptown," Snitkin told him. "He telephoned the Bureau as soon as he got the report from the doc. I had just come in, and took
the call myself. Then I phoned you."

Heath nodded as if
satisfied.

"That's all right,
Snitkin. You'd better go home now and hit the hay,--you been wearin' out your dogs all day. But get down to the Bureau early
tomorrow--I'll be needin' you. I'll see about getting some members of the family for official indentification of the body
in the morning--probably the fellow's brother will be enough. This is a hell of a case."

Vance smoked a moment
in silence, and his brow clouded: his whole expression, in fact, changed.

"I know only too well,
Markham, how serious the situation is," he said in a grave and curiously subdued voice. "But there's really nothing we can
do. We must wait--please believe me. Our hands and feet are tied." He looked at Markham and continued with unwonted earnestness.
"The most serious part of the whole affair is that this is not a kidnapping case at all, in the conventional sense. It goes
deeper than that. It's cold-blooded, diabolical murder. But I can't quite see my way yet to proving it. I'm far more worried
than you, Markham. The whole thing is unspeakably horrible. There are subtle and abnormal elements mixed up in the situation.
It's an abominable affair, but as we sit here tonight, I want to tell you that I don't know--I don't know. . . . I'm afraid
to make a move until we learn more."

I had rarely heard
Vance speak in this tone, and a curious sensation of fear, so potent as to be almost a physical reaction, ran through me.

I am certain that
Vance's words had a similar effect on Markham, who made no comment: he sat silent for several minutes. Then he took his leave,
without again referring to the case. Vance bade him good night absent-mindedly and remained in his chair, gazing before him
into the empty grate.

I myself went immediately
to bed and--I am a little loath to admit it--slept fairly well: I was somewhat exhausted, and a physical relaxation had come
over me, despite my mental tension. But had I known what terrible and heart-paralyzing events the following day held in store,
I doubt if I could have slept a wink that night.

[1]It is interesting to note
that in the entire association between Markham and Vance I had never heard either of them pay the other a compliment of any
kind. When one of them so much as bordered on a compliment, the other always broke in sharply with a remark which made any
further outward display of sentiment impossible. To me it seemed as if both of them had a deep-rooted instinct to keep the
intimate and personal side of their affection for each other disguised and unspoken.

I shall never forget
the following day. It will ever remain in my memory as one of the great horrors of my life. It was the day when Vance and
Heath and I came nearer to death than ever before or since. I still remember the scene in the private office of the now closed
Kinkaid Casino;[1] and the report of Vance's hideous death in the course of the Garden murder case will never be erased from my mind. But as
I look back upon these and other frightful episodes which froze my blood and filled my heart with cold fear, not one of them
looms as appalling as do the events of that memorable Friday in the blistering heat of this particular summer.

It was, in a way,
the outcome of Vance's own decision. He deliberately sought it as the result of some strange and unusual emotional reaction.
He staked his own life in the attempt to prevent something which he considered diabolical. Vance was a man whose cold mental
processes generally governed his every action; but in this emergency he impulsively followed his instincts. I frankly admit
that it was, to me, a new phase of the man's many-sided character--a phase with which I was unfamiliar, and which I would
not have believed was actually part of his make-up.

The day began conventionally
enough, except that Vance rose at eight. I did not know how much sleep he actually got after Markham departed the night before.
I know only that I myself woke up for a brief interval, hours after I had retired, and could hear his footsteps as if he were
pacing up and down in the library. But when I joined him for breakfast at half-past eight that morning, there was no indication
either in his eyes or in his manner--which was as nonchalant and disinterested as ever--that he had been deprived of his rest.

He was dressed in
a dark grey herring-bone suit, a pair of soft black leather oxfords, and a dark green cravat with white polka-dots. He greeted
me with his customarily cynical but pleasant ease. But he made no comment to explain his early (for him) rising. He seemed
altogether natural and unconcerned about the happenings of the day before. When he had finished his Turkish coffee and lighted
a second Régie he settled back in his chair and spoke, quite casually, about the Kenting case.

"An amazin' and complicated
affair--eh, what, Van? There are far too many facets to it--same like those stones in old Karl Kenting's collection--to leave
one entirely comfortable. Dashed elusive--and deuced tangled. I naturally have certain suspicions, but I am by no means sure
of my ground. I don't like those missin' gems--they tie up too consistently with the rest of the incidents. I don't like that
unused ladder--so subtly and uselessly moved from one window to another. I don't like that abortive attempt on Fleel's life
last night, or Quaggy's fortuitous appearance on the scene--Fleel was undoubtedly in a jittery state when we found him and
actually incredulous at finding himself still alive. And I don't at all like the general situation in that old high-ceilinged
purple house--it's not a wholesome place and has too many sinister possibilities. . . . There has already been one murder
that we know of, and there may be another which we haven't yet heard about."

He looked up with
a troubled glance and drew in a deep breath.

"No--oh, no; it's
not a nice case," he went on as if to himself. "But what are we to do about it? Today may bring an answer. Haste on our part
might spoil everything. But haste--oh, tremendous haste--is now of the utmost importance to the killer. That is why I think
something will happen before very long. I'm hopin', Van. I'm also countin' on the anxiety of the person who has plotted and
carried out this beastly affair to this point. . . ."

He smoked a while
in silence. I offered no comment or opinion, for I knew he had been thinking aloud rather than addressing me personally. When
the lighted tip of his cigarette had almost reached the platinum rim of his slender ivory holder he got up slowly, moved to
the front window, and stood gazing out at the sunlit street. Despite the sunshine, a humid mist fell over the city and presaged
a stagnant, airless day. When Vance turned back to me he seemed to have made a decision.

"I think we'll take
a spin down to Markham's office, Van," he said. "There's nothing to do here, and there may be some news which Markham naively
regards as too trivial to telephone me about. But it's the little obscure things that are goin' to solve this case."[2]

Vance walked energetically
across the room and, ringing for Currie, ordered his car.

Vance drove swiftly down
Madison Avenue in a curiously abstracted mood. We arrived at Markham's office a few minutes before ten o'clock.

"Glad you came, Vance,"
was Markham's greeting. "I was about to call you on the phone."

"Ah!" Vance sat down
lazily. "Any tidin's, glad or otherwise?"

"I'm afraid not,"
Markham returned dispiritedly, "although things have been going ahead. A great deal of the necessary police work has been
done, but we haven't come upon any promising lead as yet."

"Oh, yes. Of course."
Vance smiled mildly. "Jolly old Police Department simply must imitate the whirling dervish before they feel entitled to settle
down to the serious business in hand. I suppose you mean finger-prints, photographs, and the futile search for possible lookers-on,
and the grilling--as you call it--of perfectly innocent and harmless people, and a careful search of the spot where Kaspar
was found, as well as a thorough overhauling of the abandoned car."

"Those things simply
have to be done. Very often they lead us to vital facts in the case. All criminals are not super-geniuses--they make mistakes
occasionally."

"Oh, to be sure,"
Vance sighed. "Concatenation of circumstances impossible of duplication. Reconstruction from two points of view--and so on
ad infinitum. I think I know all the catch phrases by this time. . . . However, proceed to unburden thyself."

"Well," said Markham
in a hard, practical voice, ignoring Vance's frivolous interlude, "Kenyon Kenting was taken to the uptown morgue this morning
and he identified his brother's body beyond a doubt. And I saw no need to put any other members of the family through the
harrowing experience."

"Most considerate
of you," murmured Vance--and it was difficult to know whether his remark was intended to convey a tinge of sarcasm or was
merely a conventional retort. In any event, Markham's statement left him utterly indifferent.

"Mrs. Kenting's room,"
continued Markham, "as well as the window-sill and the ladder, was gone over thoroughly for finger-prints--"